MLP: Kingdom Harmony Volume 1
by Overkill-0526
Summary: After making the ultimate sacrifice, Sora finds himself in a strange new world. New friends and adventures await him in this colorful land. Takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts 3 and starts before the first episode of Friendship is Magic.
1. Awakening

A single light. It should move to the next plane, but something was keeping it alight, some sort of overpowering desire. The light wandered in an endless expanse of sea and sky, wishing for a second chance.

**They can take your world. They can take your heart. Cut you loose form all you know. But if it's your fate... then every step forward will always be a step closer to home.**

The light felt something in the endless expanse, some kind of magical energy. This feeling was comforting, almost harmonic. The scene faded away and then there was nothing but a pitch black darkness.

—

Night time had long since dawned on this farm, a farm with acres of trees filled with delicious, red apples. The only inhabitants of this farm resided within a homestead that resembled a barn more than a house. Looking out of a window on the top floor was a young sapient pony with yellow fur, a plump red mane and tail, large (very large) orange eyes, and a cute little pink bow atop her head.

"Apple Bloom, shouldn't ya'll be in bed?" Another pony spoke from behind, startling the filly named Apple Bloom. She turned around to see, just outside the door frame, an orange mare with white freckles on her cheeks, a blonde mane that was held with a red band at the back (her tail had an identical appearance), lime green eyes, and a brown stetson hat. One major difference between the mare and the filly was that the former had an image of three apples upon her flanks. This older equine looked at smaller one with a stern gaze.

"Aww c'mon, Applejack. Can't ah stay up for just a little longer?" Apple Bloom pouted, quivering her lips and enlarging her pupils for added cuteness.

"Apple Bloom, yer a filly," Applejack stated, unfazed by Apple Bloom's killer sad face, "Ya'll need yer sleep. Now git to bed."

"Awww," Apple Bloom slumped. As she was trotting over to her bed, something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head back towards the window to confirm her suspicions, "Applejack, look, a shooting star! Make a wish!" The young pony exclaimed in excitement, shutting her eyelids tightly. Applejack peered out the window to look for herself. Sure enough, a trail of light was racing through the night sky.

Most shooting stars would burn out after a while; however, this star continued to build up speed and showed no signs of disappearing. It just kept going—on a collision course towards the farm. Applejack's pupils shrunk as this ball of bright fire impacted near the house, creating a small earth quake and a sizable crater. The orange mare lost her breath as a thick dust cloud obscured the window's vision.

Apple Bloom, for her part, opened her eyes and eagerly glanced at her bare flank, almost as if she expected something to happen. Her face slumped when her expectations failed to reach fruition.

"Awww, it didn't work," she mumbled.

"Apple Bloom, wait here!" the older pony ordered, exiting the room.

"What? Why?" The little filly questioned.

"Just stay put!" Applejack called out, galloping downstairs to the front door and grabbing a nearby lantern with her teeth. She opened the front door and surveyed the impact zone. Nothing of value was damaged, thankfully,

Applejack was soon joined by a bulky red stallion with a short and messy orange mane and tail, emerald green eyes, and a mark on his flanks of a green apple and it's core. The two ponies looked at each other and gave respective nods. They carefully approached the impact zone, wary of potential danger. Even after reaching the lip of the crater, the dust in the air prevented them from seeing what crashed into their farm. After letting the dust settle for a moment, the two ponies got a full look at the center.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack muttered. This was no star, it was a pony.

This pony was a pegasus stallion, a young one at that, likely sixteen years old. His skinny frame was coated in caramel colored fur. His chocolate brown mane and tail was unusually spiky. This pony wore clothes as well. A sleeveless v-neck gray shirt under a black jacket with gray pockets, red edgings, and a red hood. The front was adorned with six buttons, the top ones holding together flaps with red and black plaid coloring. Around his neck was a silver chain necklace adorned with a three pronged crown charm. He also wore gray cloth gauntlets and each of his fore hooves held together with a yellow strap. Draped on his back were gray saddlebags with a gold button holding each flap. Upon his flank was an image of the same silver crown charm.

The stallion seemed to be perfectly fine despite crashing into the dirt, no serious bruises, cuts, or any other kind of injury; however, he was still unconscious. Despite his miraculous luck, Applejack felt the need to aid this mysterious pony.

"Big Mac, can ya carry him to the spare room?" Applejack asked the stallion named Bic Mac.

"Eyup," He responded, lowering his frame so that Applejack could gingerly loft the pegasus on top of the red pony's back. Making their way out of the crater, the duo returned to the homestead to provide this pegasus some shelter.

—

Nothing, nothing to be found. Just a never-ending darkness as far as the eye could see. There had to be something here. There was always a light within any darkness, no matter how vast.

There it was, it was faint, but there was a light in the distance. Getting closer, the light took shape into a massive stain glass pillar. The top of the pillar showed an intricate design with six blank diamonds. What could those diamonds represent, if anything? From the center of the platform emerged a great and blinding light that engulfed all viewable vision.

—

Slowly, his eyelids opened up. Only then did he realize that his body was wildly unfamiliar. With great shock, he jumped out of the bed and fell flat on his face. He flailed his limbs about until he managed to calm down, taking deep breaths to lower his adrenaline. He seated himself on his hind legs as the full features of his form became apparent. The wings on his back flapped inharmoniously and out of sync. He looked at his fore-hooves with great confusion. He felt his face to find a long and squared muzzle.

He took a quick look of his surroundings: a small, rustic bedroom with only a bed, a full sized mirror, a side table with a lamp, and drawer with some clothing items on top. This was not an area he recognized. With no clue where he was in a body he wasn't familiar with, he could only cry out in exasperation:

"Where am I now?!"


	2. The Apple Family

He had no idea where he was, no idea how he got here, no idea why he looks the way he does, and no idea what he should do next. Well, the only thing left to do now was move forward and hope for the best.

After getting over his shock, he took in the interior once more. It was barren, but cozy at the same time. The caramel pony trotted over to the mirror to give himself a full look over. He inspected his appearance critically. His sky blue eyes were abnormally large, almost filling up his entire face.

"How'd I turn into Pegasus?" He flared up his wings, finding difficulty properly controlling them, "Is this how I fit into this world? But Donald isn't here, how did I change?" His train of thought was interrupted when he took notice of the crown symbol on his flank, "Aaahhhhh! How'd I get a tattoo on my butt?!" He slumped in exasperation. This was all so strange. He thought back to what he remembered before he ended up in this unfamiliar setting.

_"The power of waking isn't for chasing hearts around."_

That's right. He wanted to save someone close to him, and he succeeded, but not without a price. He abused his power to accomplish his goal, and he payed for it.

He stiffened when he heard the door creak behind him. He turned around to see little Apple Bloom peeking her head from the opposite side of the door. The little filly's eyes widened when she realized her cover was blown. Sora eyed the opened entryway curiously, "Hello?" Apple Bloom entered the room proper.

"Hi there," Apple Bloom greeted. The pegasus tilted his head at the adorable creature, "I'm Apple Bloom. What's yer name?"

"I'm Sora. Nice to meet you, Apple Bloom," Sora replied with a smile, which the little filly replicated. It was nice to see a friendly face after such a shock, "Hey, do you know where we are?"

"Sure do! You're in Sweet Apple Acres, the best apple farm in all of Equestria!" Apple Bloom proudly stated.

_"Equestria?"_ Sora thought, _"What kind of a world did I end up in?"_

"Hey, where ya from, Sora?" Asked an eager Apple Bloom, bring Sora away from his thoughts, "Ah'm just a little curious since ya fell from the sky and everything," That statement floored Sora, metaphorically of course.

"I fell from the sky?!" Sora repeated loudly. Apple Bloom reeled backwards in surprise from Sora's outburst.

"Uh, yeah... ya kinda did," The small filly responded with trepidation, "Ya still didn't answer mah question."

Sora pulled himself back to reality, "Oh, I'm from... really far away," He answered.

"How far away?" The small filly prodded, disappointed with his vague response.

"As far away as you can imagine," He did not want to reveal the true nature of where he came from, so he was intentionally vague with the details. Apple Bloom was unsatisfied with Sora's answer, scrunching up her face in disappointment.

"Apple Bloom! There you are!" Came the stern voice of Applejack, who was standing outside the door. Apple Bloom froze in place as her sister stormed into the room, "What do ya think yer doing? Ya'll have chores to do!"

"Applejack, ah was just—uh..." Apple Bloom scratched her head in thought for a good explanation, "Oh, Sora here has amnesia, and ah was helping him remember what he forgot," Sora raised his eyebrow in confusion, that was a clear lie. He never said anything about amnesia.

Unfortunately for Apple Bloom, Applejack wasn't buying it. Not one bit. After shaking her head in disapproval, the orange mare lowered her face to Apple Bloom's eye level, "Apple Bloom, what have ah told ya about lyin'?"

The yellow filly looked down at the ground in defeat, "That it only leads to trouble."

"Exactly. Now stop pesterin' this pony and go do yer chores," The orange mare ordered, then added in a softer tone, "You'll get to talk to him later," Apple Bloom trotted away in irritation, huffing in the process. After the little filly left the room, Applejack addressed Sora proper, "Sorry 'bout that, Sora was it?"

"Yeah, and you're Applejack, right?" Apple Bloom? Applejack? These sure were some strange names.

"That's right," She responded with a tip of her hat, "Pleasure to meet ya. Sorry 'bout Apple Bloom," Applejack sighed with a shake of her head, "Ah swear, it's impossible to get that filly to listen sometimes."

"She wasn't bothering me that much," Sora defended.

"Aww hooey," Applejack said, "Y'all should be resting after that crash of yer's."

"I feel just fine," Sora replied, stretching and moving about his legs to emphasize his point. The farm mare scrunched her face in uncertainty. Sora did seem to be fit as a fiddle, but...

"Ah ain't takin' that chance," Applejack poked Sora's chest, "Ya'll get some rest, ya hear. I'll be back later to introduce ya to the rest of the family," She left the room, closing the door behind her. Now Sora was left alone on his own to ponder his next course of action.

"How am I supposed to get back? Wait, of course!" Sora trotted over to the saddlebags and tried to open them with his hooves; this proved largely unsuccessful as he only managed to paw away at the flaps, "Ughhh, I wish I had fingers," he eventually was successful in opening the flap, then he went to work searching what he was looking for among the myriad of other miscellaneous objects.

"There you are!" Sora declared, pulling our a rectangular red device with a black screen and a single black button in the shape of a mouse head, "Alright! I'll be back in no time," he pushed the single button and—nothing, nothing happened, "What?" He panicked, pressing the button over and over again; he even began shaking the device in an attempt to force some kind of reaction, but to no avail, "No! Nononono! Don't be broken!" Sora's plea was met with dead silence. He slumped heavily and sighed in defeat and frustration, "How am I supposed to let the others know I'm okay?"

A sudden and despairing revelation dawned on him, "I'm stranded here," There was no hope of him returning home. Sora shook his head, he didn't want to think like that, it wouldn't help, "I have to believe that my friends will find me," He said with conviction. If he was stuck in this world, he would make the best of it.

—

After Applejack left, Sora went to work figuring out how to put his clothes on. It was a long and arduous process, considering that he had to get his wings fitted through his shirt and jack. Thankfully, there were two slits on the back of each garment for his wings. There was also the issue of how to put on the saddlebags. Trying to strap in the belt with hooves proved difficult, but Sora found that using his teeth of all things was more effective at grasping the belt. After about an hour of getting used to taking off and taking on his clothes, Sora was greeted by Applejack once again. She informed him that the rest of the family was downstairs and ready to meet him proper, so Sora followed Applejack through the hallway and downstairs into the living room where the Apple family was gathered.

Among Apple Bloom and Big Mac, who was now wearing a thick wooden harness around his neck, was an elderly lime green mare with amber eyes and a grayed mane and tail held in a bun. On her flanks was an image of a homemade pie, apple flavor most likely.

"Right then. You've met Apple Bloom," Applejack motioned towards the little filly, who waved at Sora enthusiastically, "This here is Bic Macintosh and Granny Smith." Bic Macintosh gave a curt nod of greeting to Sora while Granny Smith trotted towards Sora to get a better look at him.

"So," Granny Smith acknowledged Sora, "Yer what all the fuss is about?"

"Yeah, that's me. Sorry," Sora seemed to be genuinely sorry that he might have caused some sort trouble.

"Psshhh, ya'll got nothin' ta be sorry fer," Applejack reassured, "We were more than happy to give ya shelter fer the night."

"Eyup," Bic Macintosh agreed with a nod. The Apple siblings reassurance brought a smile to Sora's face.

"So how was it ya crashed on our front lawn?" Granny Smith asked.

Sora brought a hoof to his chin in thought. Nothing was coming to him, other than that strange Station of Awakening, "I honestly don't know."

"Ya hafta remember somthin'," Applejack said, unconvinced that Sora had no memory prior of his crash. The other family members were on the same boat.

"Sorry, I got nothing," Sora shrugged. Well, that question led nowhere.

"Ya might'a hit yer noggin a bit too hard there, sonny," Granny Smith commented.

"Yeah, I guess," Sora responded with a rub of his neck.

"So, ah take it you'll be heading off soon," Granny Smith said. Sora didn't think that was a good idea. He knew nothing about his whereabouts, so going off on his own was out of the question.

"I really don't have anyplace to stay at the moment," Sora admitted. He spoke this statement plainly, almost as though he'd been in this scenario before, "I was hoping I could say here for a while."

"Aww shucks, that's a real shame to hear," Applejack gave her sympathies, "I'd be fine to let ya stay so long as the others are okay with it."

"Sure, why not?" Apple Bloom affirmed.

"Eeyup," Bic Mac repeated the sentiment.

"Aww shoot, what the hay?" Granny Smith went along with the idea gladly.

Sora was not expecting such sublime hospitality, "Really, you'll let me stay here?"

"Sure as apple pie," The elderly mare stated, "We could use an extra set of hooves around here."

"Exactly," Applejack spoke once again, this time in a more serious tone, "If yer gonna be staying at this here farm, yer gonna hafta pull yer weight. An' that means helping us on the farm. No lollygagin'."

Sora didn't want to feel like he was free loading, so he was more than fine with having to work for the Apples, "Okay, that sounds fair. So when do we start?"

"We start with fattening ya up, boy!" Granny Smith declared, taking Sora by surprise, "Y'all are nothin' but skin an' bones," Sora had to admit he was on the lanky side, but he didn't feel like he needed to be 'fattened up,' "Lucky fer you, we're jus' about to eat lunch."

"Hey, I'm not just skin and..."

"Ya'll are gonna have the meal of yer lifetime, sonny!" The old mare interrupted Sora and began slowly trotting to the adjacent kitchen. The Apple siblings and Sora followed after her. The caramel pegasus wasn't exactly happy with Granny Smith insulting his frame, but at least he got to have a free meal.

—

"So, what exactly do you do here?" Sora asked Applejack. After a long, filling, and unbelievably delicious lunch of apple based dishes, Applejack and Big Macintosh gave Sora a quick tour of their facilities, including where they kept their livestock, their tool shed, and an inside look at their barn. Sora now accompanied Applejack and Big Macintosh to the apple orchard, where wooden buckets were positioned around some of the trees.

"Well, we harvest apples from the trees in the orchard, so's that we can store 'em in the barn to sell later," Applejack gave an abridged explanation of what goes on at the Apple's farm.

"Okay, how do I harvest the apples?" Sora looked up at one of the trees. If it wasn't for how full he was, he would probably be craving one of the ripe apples on the tree's branches.

Applejack trotted up to one of the trees to give a demonstration, "Watch an' learn," She reared up both her hind legs and brought them onto the tree trunk with a hard kick. The tree shook and all of the apples fell into the surrounding buckets, "See, jus' like that."

Sora payed close attention to how Applejack performed this action, "Looks easy enough," He approached one of the trees and positioned himself facing the opposite of the trunk.

"Now don't feel bad if ya don't get it on the first..." Sora reared up his hind legs and kicked the tree trunk hard. The tree shook profusely, loosening the apples so that they fell down into the buckets. Applejack and Bic Mac dropped their jaws, "...try?"

"Like that?" Sora asked.

"Uh, yeah, jus' like that," The farm mare certainly wasn't expecting such a scrawny pony to perform such a perfect apple buck. Sora approached another tree and gave it a swift buck, filling up another set of buckets.

"This is pretty fun," Sora was clearly enjoying himself as he bucked another tree tree of it's apples.

"Sora, are you sure ya haven't done this before?" Applejack inquired incredulously. The way Sora was apple bucking, it seemed he was a trained professional with years of experience, "Ya'll seem like an expert at this sorta thing."

"Not really," Sora answered, "I've done gardening before, but never something like this. Maybe I'm just a fast learner," He shrugged his shoulders, proceeding to apple buck another tree perfectly, "Say, where do we put the apples?"

"Well, we normally store the harvested apples to the barn for storage," Apple answered, bewildered at Sora's efficiency.

"Gotcha," Sora balanced one of the apple buckets on his back and made his way over to the barn. As he made his leave to deposit the apples, Applejack and Big Mac addressed each other.

"Who'da thought that lanky stallion was a natural apple farmer," Applejack expressed her thoughts to her brother.

"Eyup," He didn't say much, but Big Mac reaffirmed his little sister's sentiments.

"Well, might as well get to work," Applejack said, "Wouldn't bee fair if we made Sora do all the work," Big Mac nodded in agreement.

A few hours passed. Sora, Applejack and Big Mac made astounding progress clearing the acres of trees. The barn was practically filled to the brim with apples at this point. Applejack and Big Mac were tired out, but Sora still seemed like he could work for a few more hours.

"Yer somethin' else, Sora," Applejack complimented, impressed with his stamina, "Ah've never seen a pony work that hard without fallin' over."

"Thanks," Sora replied, bucking another tree of it's apples.

"I'll say," Spoke Apple Bloom, who was going around picking up apples that didn't directly fall into the buckets, "With you here, apple buck season'll be a cinch."

"Apple buck season? What's that?" The caramel pony questioned.

"For one week every year, Big Mac an' ah harvest the entire orchard," Applejack answered.

"The entire orchard!" That seemed like a daunting task just for two siblings, "That sounds like alot of work in such a short amount of time."

"It really isn't that big of a deal," The farm mare brushed off.

"Nope," Big Mac shook his head in disagreement, causing Applejack to shift her mood.

"Aww c'mon, Big Mac," She said, "You know ah've done may fair share of apple bucking in mah time."

"Ah'm jus' sain' that apple buck season is no laughing matter," Big Mac explained. Sora almost did a double take. That was the first time he heard the red stallion speak any more than a single word, "It ain't somethin' ya just bush over by yerself," He added matter of factly, but Applejack looked miffed at his words.

"What'chu sayin'? You sayin' ah can't do it on mah own?" She accused, thinking he was insulting her.

"Ah'm saying ya shouldn't bite off more than ya can chew, especially when ya got others to help you," Big Mac elaborated, but Applejack was still angered.

"He's not wrong," Sora pitched in.

"Ya'll think so too, Sora?" Applejack was getting heated at this apparent insult to her abilities as a farmer.

"I'm just saying that you shouldn't try to take on such a big task on your own," Sora reasoned.

"Aww hooey," The farm mare stubbornly brushed off, "Ah know apple buckin' like the back of mah hoof. Ah can take care of apple buck season easy."

"Well, if you say so," Big Mac stated, picking up a bucket of apples to store. Applejack grumbled under her breath in frustration after he left.

Apple Bloom, munching on an apple while her siblings and new friend had their brief argument, casted a glance at the silver crown symbol upon Sora's flank, "Hey, Sora, what's yer cutie mark mean?" Apple Bloom prodded enthusiastically, bringing herself close to Sora's flank. The pegasus noticed Apple Bloom snooping her nose near his rear end and he flinched back in embarrassment.

"Hey, personal space!" Sora scolded, blushing at Apple Bloom's action.

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack further scolded the little filly, grabbing hold of her ear, which brought protests from Apple Bloom, "That was mighty rude of you!"

"C'mon, Applejack, ah was just curious," Apple Bloom defended herself, cringing at the pain coming from her ear.

"That don't mean ya can go butting into another pony's business," Applejack retorted, releasing her hold on her little sister's ear, "Are ya still bellyaching over yer cutie mark?"

Apple Bloom folded her ears and looked to the ground dejectedly, "Everypony in mah class has their cutie marks but me. You got yer cutie mark before you were mah age."

_"Cutie Mark?"_ Sora glanced at the crown emblazoned on his flank, _"Is that what they're called?"_ Whatever the case, their name made the caramel pegasus feel like he was steadily losing his masculinity. Thinking back, Sora noticed something strange. All of the Apple family had a cutie mark on their flanks, even Sora had the crown symbol, but Apple Bloom mysteriously had a blank flank.

"We've been over this before, sugar cube," Applejack addressed Apple Bloom in a more motherly fashion, "You'll get yer cutie mark soon as you discover yer special talent."

"But ah feel like ah'll never get mah cutie mark," Apple Bloom lamented.

"Don' be like that, Apple Bloom," The orange mare soothingly stroked the little one's head, "You'll find yer special talent someday, ya just gotta be patient."

"Ah don't wanna be patient!" Apple Bloom broke away from Applejack, "Ah want it now!"

"Apple Bloom," The eldest sister shook her head, "Ah don't know what else to tell ya," The yellow filly puffed her cheeks in disappointment and trotted off. Sora could only serve as a spectator, not understanding the context of the situation.

"Why is she so obsessed over her—cutie mark," Even the act of saying the phrase made Sora feel silly.

"Not really sure," Applejack admitted, "She's only been bellyaching over it recently. Ah wish ah could stop her from worrying about it," Sora began wondering if maybe he could make Apple Bloom feel better, "Well, ah think that's enough work for the day," Applejack changed the subject, "So, Sora, What'll ya do now?"

"I don't know," Sora responded, crossing his fore-hooves over his chest, "I don't really have anywhere to be right now."

"Well, maybe ya can mosey on over to Ponyville just down the road," Applejack suggested, "Get yerself aquatinted with the locals."

"There's a town near here?" Sora said.

"Yeah, where do ya think we sell our apples?" Applejack replied playfully. Sora had to rub his head in embarrassment at that remark, "Like ah said, since you'll be stayin' here awhile, ya might as well get yerself familiar with the town."

Applejack's idea made sense. Being confined to the farm didn't seem like a productive use of time and energy, "That's not a bad idea, Applejack. So, which way to Ponyville?"

"Just follow the path past the picket fence. Ya can't miss it."

"Right, thanks," Sora trotted off to find this town.

"By the way," Applejack called out, "If ya see a pony named Rainbow Dash, tell her she still owes me a new pig pen."

"Sure will do!" Sora affirmed, continuing his trek to the town of Ponyville.


	3. Welcome to Ponyville

Trotting along the dirt path that led towards civilization, Sora casted a glance towards his wings. Flapping his back appendages, a thought just occurred to him, "That's right. I have wings just like Pegasus. That must mean I can fly!" With great excitement, Sora leapt into the air and flapped his wings rapidly. Unfortunately, Sora's expectations failed to reach fruition when he landed hard on his stomach instead of levitating above ground. He groaned in pain standing back up from his failed attempt at aviation, "Guess it's not as easy as I thought."

A high pitched squeak brought Sora out of his thoughts of flight. Worried, he looked in all directions to discern the source of this cry. His eyes drifted downward to find a distressed chipmunk with a limp leg. Sora felt immediate sympathy for the poor little woodland creature, "Poor little guy, I wonder what happened."

"Oh no!" Exclaimed someone, but exclaimed would be a stretch; the voice was incredibly soft spoken and barely reached ear splitting levels. Nonetheless, the mysterious voice startled Sora, thus in turn startling the chipmunk. The caramel pegasus turned his head to find another pegasus next to him. Her coat was butter yellow in color and her light pink mane was long and wavy. Her cutie mark was an image of three pink butterflies, an icon that was present on her saddlebags. Her moderate cyan eyes expressed only one emotion: worry. She lightly pushed Sora aside and knelt down to the chipmunk's level, "Oh, you poor thing," she scooped up the creature in her hooves and gently lifted herself off the ground with her wings. Then she flew off with the chipmunk in hoof.

"Hey, wait!" Sora followed after her. She was flying at a surprisingly fast speed that Sora was barely able to catch up to. He followed the mare to a fairly remote cottage that was well away from the path he had followed. There was a little bridge that provided a path over a small creak. The structure itself was very modest and only provided a necessary amount of shelter. The mare opened the door and rushed inside, locking the door behind her, thus leaving Sora outside once he arrived. The caramel pony took a look at the surrounding area, finding numerous woodland critters roaming around. The entire atmosphere of the area was calming, the chirping birds and the squeaks of various critters brought a sense of ease to the soul. Sora heard the door open as he enjoyed his surroundings. He turned to find the yellow mare shyly exiting her house, closing the door behind her.

"Uh, hi there," He greeted, but she only fiddled with her fore-hooves in response, "I'm Sora, what's your name?"

"I-I'm Fluttershy..." She whispered, her words barely registering to Sora.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Fluttershy..." She said, a little louder this time.

"Fluttershy?" Sora repeated, "Is it Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy stepped back slightly and let out a little whimper. Sora could easily see that the mare was very shy around others. He himself couldn't help but feel a little awkward around her. Sora looked over what he assumed was her home, taking note of all the different animals roaming the premises. There were also numerous enclosures and feeding stations dotted around the cottage. There was also the mare's overall attitude towards the injured chipmunk earlier; she acted like a concerned mother tending to her child. Maybe bringing up the subject of animals would get her to open up.

"Hey, is the little guy okay?" Sora asked.

"Oh—uh, yes, he's alright now," Fluttershy assured, "That poor chipmunk hurt his leg foraging acorns up in the trees. He was lucky I found him on my way back picking up carrots for Angel Bunny. He just needs time to recover, then he'll be back on his feet."

"That's good to hear," Sora nodded. His change of topic had the effect he desired, Fluttershy was star to look more comfortable, "You're really good with animals, aren't you?"

"Oh yes," Fluttershy answered as enthusiastically as she could, "I love animals. I care and tend to them whenever they need it."

"I can tell. You were really worried about that chipmunk," Something then occurred to Sora. Fluttershy said that the chipmunk hurt his leg harvesting acorns, but she didn't see that happen, "Hey, how did you know how he got hurt?"

"Oh—uh... I asked him and he told me," She stammered, almost as if she was embarrassed to say anything regarding the subject.

"Wait, you can talk to animals?" Sora couldn't believe his ears. Fluttershy nodded nervously, worried that she might have just weirded him out, "That's awesome!"

"Really? You think so?" Fluttershy inquired, she wasn't used to another pony displaying this level of interest in her work.

"Yeah," Sora affirmed with a big smile.

"Oh, that's very kind of you to say," Fluttershy expressed her appreciation, "Are interested in animals too, Sora?"

"Well, I've met a few cool animals before if that's what you mean," Sora continued the conversation, "There was this elephant with big ears, and there was also this lion named Simba..."

"You've met a lion?!" Fluttershy almost squealed in delight, gently hovering above ground, "I've never seen a lion before. What was he like?"

"Simba's really cool," Sora was glad he was able to get Fluttershy to open up. Sora spent the next hour discussing the various animals he's met with Fluttershy. The yellow mare listened intently as he told tales of a deer fawn, a flying elephant, and a blue creature Sora didn't know the species of, but it was very slobbery and affectionate. Sora told her as much as he could, but he intentionally left out a few details. Eventually, Sora bade farewell to Fluttershy and resumed his trek to the village of Ponyville.

—

Sora looked around the rustic and charming architecture, seeing pastel colored ponies of all different ages trotting around, not just normal ponies and pegasi, but unicorns as well.

_"It's like I've landed in a little girl's fantasy,"_ Sora thought, _"Well, I guess I could've ended up someplace worse."_ As he wandered through the town, Sora caught glimpse of a peculiar phenomenon. He saw pegasi moving around clouds like they were cardboard boxes. _"They can move clouds? That's so cool!"_ Sora glanced to his wings once again, further cursing the fact he couldn't fly, _"Man, this place just keeps getting crazier."_

As the stallion reveled in this newfound discovery, he came across a rather strange building. The entire building was circular and was designed to look posh and frilly. The top of the structure was a fully detailed carousel, making Sora wonder if it actually worked. The sign read "Carousel Boutique." Being stricken with curiosity, Sora opened the door and heard a little jingle above him. The owner had installed a bell on the door frame, likely to alert the arrival of customers. Sora took in the interior. It was very... girly. The walls were varying shades of pink and white, and there were numerous stands displaying a diverse range of pony fitted dresses. There was a runway which Sora assumed was for ponies to model the clothes on display. What puzzled Sora was that the ponies he had seen so far didn't wear clothes; what was really the point of this shop? Recreation?

"I'll be just a moment," came a pleasant and posh voice from another room. After a moment of waiting, the source of the voice trotted into the main lobby. She was probably the most stunning pony Sora had seen thus far. She was a marshmallow white coated unicorn with an elegantly curled purple mane and tail. Her eyes were closed as she trotted, so Sora could see the expertly applied makeup on her face. Her cutie mark consisted of three blue diamonds, "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is—" The unicorn cut off her speaking when she opened her teal blue eyes and got a full view of Sora's appearance, "Pardon me but, where did you get those clothes?"

Sora, slightly taken aback, stammered his response, "Oh—uh... they were given to me," That was a truthful statement, but Sora didn't want to disclose who or where. The marshmallow pony trotted closer to Sora and carefully inspected his clothing, which did nothing to circumvent the awkward air in the room, "What?"

"I've never seen their like before," She mused. She pulled herself back and shook her head to recompose herself, "Apologies. Where are my manners, I'm Rarity, or Miss Rarity if you prefer."

Sora blinked his eyes in confusion, "I'm Sora," he introduced, feeling a little more comfortable, "It's nice to meet you, Rarity."

"Now that introductions are out of the way, what can I do for you, Sora?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, I was just a little curious was all," Sora admitted, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, "Sorry to bother you, I'll just be on my way," He turned his frame to trot out the door, but a light blue aura took hold of his jacket and held him in place, "Woah! What the..?"

Rarity galloped in front of Sora, who saw her horn glowing in the same light blue aura for a split second, "Must you leave so soon?" She pleaded, "I'm sorry for being so blunt but I simply must examine your clothing."

"You want to study my clothes?" Sora questioned, confused with Rarity's eagerness.

"Oh yes!" Rarity nodded her head rapidly, "I'm an aspiring fashion designer, you see, and I need to study up on the latest trends to predict what will be 'in' per say. Your jacket is avant-guarde if I've ever seen it. Why, just looking at it is giving me inspiration! I implore you, Sora, may I PLEASE examine your clothing?" She spoke her request with an overly dramatic flair, earning her an odd look from Sora.

"Well, I guess you can take a look," He allowed. Rarity squealed in delight and stomped her hooves in place to show her excitement.

"Oh, Thank you so much, Sora! I promise I won't take too long," Rarity's horn lit up in a light blue aura once more. All of a sudden, Sora's clothes were yanked from his body: Jacket, shirt, and saddlebags. Sora had difficulty comprehending what transpired as his clothes floated away. Rarity trotted past Sora with his clothes floating next to her. Rarity made her way to a nearby desk as a pencil and some paper floated to her.

Sora took notice of his floating clothes and the aura covering Rarity's horn. That horn was what was levitating all those objects. The posh pony was treating this as an everyday occurrence. Was this just something unicorns in this world could do?

"Plaid highlights?" Rarity mused, "Why, it just might be daring enough to work!" She began furiously scribbling up designs with this newfound inspiration. Sora looked around the shop once again, noting all of the gorgeous and well designed dresses on display.

"Hey, Rarity, did you make all of these?"

"Absolutely," Rarity responded without taking her eyes away from her sketches, "All of my designs are hoof stitched with precise care and consideration. I never accept anything that isn't perfect."

"Yeah, I can tell. They're really good," Sora's compliments brought a proud smile to Rarity's lips. It was always nice to know her talents were acknowledged and appreciated.

"I've never seen you in town before, Sora," Rarity kept the conversation going, "Have you just arrived in Ponyville?"

"Yeah, I'm staying over at Sweet Apple Acres. They're letting me stay in exchange for helping them on the farm," Sora's answer brought a heartfelt laugh from Rarity.

"So Applejack finally buckled down and hired some hooves for that farm of her's?" There was no hint of distain in her voice, just a jovial tone.

"Yeah, she was a little hesitant, but she warmed up to it after awhile."

"So, how are enjoying Ponyville, Sora?"

"It's great so far," Sora answered with a smile, "It's alot different than some of the other places I've been to," Sora slightly winced at his choice of words. He almost gave away information he wasn't supposed to.

"Oh, you're a world traveler then?" Rarity didn't seem to read into Sora's words too much, something he was very grateful for.

"Yeah, something like that," Sora took note of how Rarity was able to effectively multi-task talking and drawing at the same time.

"Well, I believe I've come up with some stunning new designs," Rarity levitated Sora's clothes back to him, "Here you are, thank you for allowing me a closer look at your wardrobe."

"Sure, no problem," Sora put his clothes back on, taking no time at all now that he knew how to do it.

"Just a moment," Rarity levitated some measuring tape, along with a pencil and note pad, and began to measure Sora's depth and width. This action confused Sora.

"What are you doing?" He inquired.

"Just taking your measurements, darling," That didn't give Sora any further insight.

"Okay, why?" He inquired more.

"Well, I want to make sure I have your proper proportions, just in case I want to craft you some new garments," Rarity reasoned, scribbling down the length of Sora's frame.

"Wait, but I don't have any money on me," Sora really didn't see himself shopping for new clothes any time soon, what he had was fine enough.

"Maybe, but whose to say I wont feel generous and give you an outfit for free," Rarity replied.

"Really, you'd just make me a new outfit?" The inhabitants of this town were unbelievably kind. First was the Apple's ample hospitality, Fluttershy's devotion to animals, now there was Rarity's inspiring generosity.

"Just think of it as me repaying you for all the tremendous inspiration you've given me," Rarity told Sora, putting away her measuring tape and note pad, "Besides, you have such an eye for fashion, it'd be a crime to not give you more garments to wear."

"That doesn't make alot of sense to me," Sora admitted, "But I appreciate it."

"Do make sure you visit again, Sora," Rarity said, "You have such a natural knack for fashion."

"I might just do that," Sora responded. Talking with Rarity was a surprisingly pleasant experience, "Alright, see ya," He trotted out the door, hearing the little bell ring again.

Rarity looked over her sketches when a paralyzing thought occurred to her, "Oh Rarity, you twit! Why didn't you ask him how he keeps his mane the way it is?"

—

Sora continued on his tour of Ponyville, taking a short stroll through a local park with a calming river and lush grass. As the pegasus trotted along the dirt path, he thought back to the ponies he met so far. Applejack was as hospitable as she was hard working, Fluttershy was a kind-hearted soul who cares for any creature under her wing, and Rarity was passionate for her work but still managed to maintain a generous streak. Ponyville certainly had it's fair share of great inhabitants. His thoughts grinded to a halt when something pink blocked his way.

"Hi!" She announced, causing Sora to fall on his back in surprise. She was a light pink earth pony with joyful blue eyes, and unending smile, a curly hot pink mane and tail, and a cutie mark of three balloons (two blue and one yellow).

Sora recuperated to look up at the strange pony, "Huh? Where did you come from?"

She ignored his question and said in a single breath, "Hi I'm Pinkie Pie it's nice to meet you spiky maned pony I really like your mane by the way your jacket is really cool what's your name?"

Sora stood back up during Pinkie's small tangent. The only things he understood was her name and her question for his name, "I'm Sora."

"Sora? That's a weird name," Pinkie said. As Sora furrowed his brow in annoyance at her remark, the pink mare suddenly gasped loudly, "I just remembered!" Pinkie's face suddenly grew serious. She slowly inched her way towards Sora, who backing away nervously, "I need to ask you something super duper ultra stupendously important. Your answer is of the utmost importance!"

"Uh... What?" Pinkie's snout was uncomfortably close to Sora's, and her piercing scowl wasn't helping matters either. Whatever Pinkie wanted to asked, it sounded unequivocally urgent if she was this serious.

"What is your favorite cake flavor?"

Sora blinked in confusion, "That's it?" Pinkie intensified her stare, prompting him to answer, "Um... Chocolate, I guess?"

Pinkie immediately resumed her previous cheerful demeanor and pulled away from Sora, "Thanks!" She then ran off. More accurately, she disappeared, leaving behind a puff of smoke in her shape. Sora just stared off into nothing as his brain tried to comprehend what just transpired.

"Man, that was weird," he commented, continuing his trot.

Sora was halted, again, when he heard a noise in the distance. He couldn't make out what it was, but it kept getting louder. Sora turned his head to find a rainbow blur heading right for him. Any thought of dodging was a distant dream as the two entities collided with each other in a painful crash. The blur that hit Sora was a cyan blue pegasus mare with rose colored eyes and a messy mane and tail that carried all the colors of a rainbow. Her cutie mark was a storm cloud firing a rainbow lightning bolt. Sora and the mare skidded on the grass for a few feet before they ended up sprawled on the ground. Sora's body ached as he stood back up, stretching his back until he heard his bones realign themselves. He turned his attention to the cyan mare working off her crash.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Sora reprimanded her with a scowl on his face, "You could've seriously hurt someone!"

"Hehe, sorry about that," She sheepishly apologized, brushing away any dirt on her. She eyed the object of her crash, noting his strange clothes and his wild hairstyle, "Never seen you in town before. You new?"

Sora continued to leer at her, still not pleased with her crash landing on him, "Yeah, I just got here today. I'm Sora."

"I'm Rainbow Dash," She introduced with a dramatic pose, "Maybe you've heard of me," Sora felt something click in his head.

"Actually, yeah I have," Sora replied with a deadpan expression, "Applejack says you still owe her a new pig pen," Rainbow Dash's eyes widened.

"Aww c'mon, is she still mad about that?" Rainbow whined, lifting herself in the air with her wings, "I had dust in my eyes. It's not my fault her pig pen was in my way."

"From what I've seen so far, you have a talent for crashing into things," Sora said.

"Whatever," Rainbow brushed off Sora's insult.

"What exactly were you doing anyway?" Sora asked.

"I was practicing my flight technique," Rainbow responded, stretching her hooves, "You're looking at a future Wonderbolt!" She proclaimed while putting her fore-hooves on her hips. Sora, in response, tilted his head in confusion.

"What's a Wonderbolt?" Rainbow Dash went slack-jawed and looked at Sora as if he just grew a second head.

"You don't know who the Wonderbolts are?!" She zoomed dangerously close to Sora's snout, "You been living under a rock or something?!" She angrily demanded. Sora flinched back from the blue mare's outburst, but he immediately went on the defensive.

"Hey, I'm not from here!" The caramel pegasus retorted, "It's not like I know everything!"

"Seems to me like the Wonderbolts should be common knowledge for a pegasus," Rainbow fired back, then sighed in annoyance, "THE Wonderbolts are the greatest fliers in all of Equestria. It's been my lifelong dream to join them."

"I doubt they'd let you join if they how bad you're crashes were," Sora insulted with a sly smile. Now Rainbow Dash was on the defensive.

"Hey, I could zoom across all the clouds in town in one go if I wanted to," She boasted.

"Oh yeah, prove it," Sora challenged.

With a cocky smirk on her face, Rainbow Dash blasted off into the sky, creating a dust cloud. Flying a super sonic speed, Rainbow bolted her way across the Ponyville skyline, swerving, zigzagging, and loop-de-looping her way past every cloud in the vicinity. Sora watched Rainbow's display of aerial acrobatics with intense awe. The cyan mare's display was attracting an audience in the park, all of them entranced by her display. With a corkscrew dive, Rainbow Dash landed in the exact same spot she was when she started. The crowd cheered in applause as Rainbow threw Sora a cocky smile.

"Told ya," She bragged, eagerly absorbing the crowd's admiration.

"Wow!" Sora was certainly proven wrong. His jaw was as low as it could possibly be, "That was amazing!"

"What I'd tell ya," Rainbow reveled in his awe.

"I wish I could pull off something like that," Sora commented, reminding himself that he still needed to learn how to fly.

"Hey, not your fault you're a runt," Rainbow shrugged, not realizing she said the wrong thing to Sora.

"What do you mean?" He asked, feeling insulted.

"I mean, no offense but you're way too scrawny to be a pro flyer," Rainbow Dash playfully stated. There wasn't a hint of superiority or anything of the sort in her voice, but that didn't stop Sora from being mad. Now he wanted to prove her wrong. Sora knew he couldn't fly just yet, but a quick look around the various trees and light posts dotted around the park gave him an idea.

"Okay, how about this," Sora proposed, "I can soar across this entire park without flying," the crowd all whistled in anticipation, wondering if actually meant it.

Rainbow Dash did not think so, chuckling loudly, "You're bluffing, there's no way," Sora smirked in response.

Facing a nearby tree, Sora galloped forward, launching himself with a front flip and planting his hooves on the tree trunk. Defying all laws of physics, he pushed himself off the trunk and propelled himself towards a nearby light post, where he grabbed hold of it with both his fore-hooves. Sora used his forward momentum to make himself spin around the pole. He let go of the light post and now he was heading towards a bench. He landed on the top of the bench and vaulted himself to another light post he then kicked off of. For a full minute, Sora performed a chain of incredible acrobatic moves, much to the enjoyment of any passerby ponies in addition to the crowd who saw Rainbow Dash's display. Sora ended his show with a triple front flip in front of a stunned Rainbow. Now the crowd was cheering for Sora.

"How was that?" The caramel pony asked with a sly grin on his face, though he could probably could guess Rainbow's opinion based on her slack-jawed expression.

In an instant, the pegasus mare expressed excitement, her face molding into a wide toothy smile, "That. Was. Awesome!" Rainbow Dash caught herself fangirling and immediately composed herself in a shroud of neutrality, avoiding eye contact, "I mean, y-yeah, that was cool... I guess."

Sora shook his head, "You're really hard to please, aren't you?" He joked.

"What can I say," Rainbow went along with the charade, "I'm a mare with high expectations," She and Sora shared a hearty laugh, "You're really something, Sora. We should hang out sometime."

"I'd like that alot," Sora nodded his head, "Just try not to crash into me next time."

"No promises," Rainbow teased, "Later," She flew off at high speeds. Sora felt a smile curl up on his lips. That entire experience made him feel like a kid again, getting into dumb contests with his friends. With his spirits high, Sora continued his trot through the park.

—

This town was filled with strange looking buildings. Now Sora found a large oak tree that had been converted into a library. "The Golden Oaks Library" it was called.

_"Seeing as how I'll probably be here for awhile, I might as well learn more about this world."_ He entered the tree turned library, seeing bookshelves built into the wood of the tree itself. Sora was surprised to find no librarian in sight.

"Hello, anyone here?" No answer. With no perceivable help, Sora looked over the shelves for something that could give him some insight into where he was. Among the shelves, Sora found what he was looking for, "A Brief History of Equestria Vol. 1." Sora reached for the book, but couldn't grip it properly with his hooves.

"Man, I miss fingers," he lamented. Sora dug at the top of the book to bring it down, and he succeeded. However, the tome fell down on the floor with a thud. He sighed in annoyance and picked the book back up with his teeth. Bringing it to a nearby table. Sora opened the table of contents and found an interesting section, "The Two Royal Sisters." He flipped through the pages till he arrived at the section he was looking for.

"Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest, Celestia, used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger, Luna, brought out the moon to begin the night," Sora did a trouble take with this new knowledge. _"They controlled the sun and moon?! They must have been powerful."_ Sora continued reading, "Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, Luna became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.

"One fateful day, Luna refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. Celestia tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in Luna's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, Celestia defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. Now alone, Celestia took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since."

Sora absorbed the information he just read, feeling sadness for Celestia and Luna. Having felt as though he learned enough, he closed the book and placed it back onto the shelf where he found it. He exited the library in a far more somber mood than when he first entered.

—

"Celestia had to banish her own sister," Sora repeated the tale to himself as dusk loomed over the horizon, "That's just... awful," Sora thought back to his own experiences; he had a friend who fell into a dark path once, a friend he was forced to battle.

Sora was brought back to reality when he heard a commotion not too far away from his location. He turned his head to see ponies gathering towards a growing plume of smoke.

The caramel pegasus gasped in shock. "Oh no! Fire!" He galloped over to the source of the smoke to find where the fire was coming from. A two story house was alight in a blazing inferno. Many ponies were gathered in concern as this scene played out. To Sora's left were a brown coated earth pony stallion with a darker brown mane and a gray coated pegasus mare with a messy blonde mane. The stallion was holding the mare back as she seemed to want to gallop towards the burning house.

"Let me go! My little filly is still in there!" The mare screeched, unable to break free of the stallion's hold. Sora overheard the mare and he gasped in shock at her words.

"It's much too dangerous now!" The stallion tried to reason, but to no avail. The mare continued to struggle against the stallion to go inside the building, but he continued to hold her at bay. Sora tensed up, if there was a defenseless filly trapped in that fire, he had to act.

"Where is she?" The caramel pegasus asked the mare, concern prevalent in his tone of voice.

"She's on the second floor," The gray mare blubbered.

"Got it!" Sora crouched low and made a running start. With enough forward momentum, he leaped high in the air toward the second floor window. Sora braced his right shoulder and crashed through the window into the blazing inferno, much to the shock of the pony bystanders.

"He's barking mad!" The brown stallion yelled.

Sora rolled onto his hooves as the heat of the fire assaulted his very being, forcing him to flinch. The room he found himself in was charred beyond repair. The ceiling was starting to cave in as chunks of burning debris lay scattered. He looked through the flames to see if the trapped filly was inside, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Is there anyone in here?!" Sora called out.

"HEEEEELP!" A voice rang out, followed by a string of guttural coughs. Sora perked his ears to determine where the voice originated, "SOMEPONY HEEELP!" The voice sounded like a little girl's, and it was coming from a terrified lilac unicorn filly with a messy blonde mane huddled in the corner of the flaming room whimpering in anxiety. Chunks of debris lay on top of a fallen, burning support beam, trapping her in place. Sora gritted his teeth in determination, he had to save this filly.

There was no escape. She was trapped and the heat was becoming more intense by the minute. She had closed her eyes to wait for her inevitable demise when she head the sound of glass shattering. She opened her eyes, only for the heat of the fire to force them to partially close again. However, in the blur of orange assaulting her vision, she could make out a pony on the opposite end of the debris.

Sora placed his fore hooves under the wooden beam and lifted with all his strength. Despite his lanky frame, the caramel pegasus brought the beam up above his head; however, the burn marks on the wood were hurting a great deal, but Sora was determined, he would weather the pain. The filly looked in awe at this heroic pony, hope welling up in her heart, but she couldn't stay in her state for long.

"C'mon! We gotta go!" Sora pleaded to the filly. The smoke was beginning to put a strain on his lungs. The filly crawled along the floor, hacking in pain along the way. The amount of smoke and heat in the house sapped away most of her strength, causing her to move at a slow and agonizing pace. The fumes of the fire proved too much for the little filly as she collapsed. She was still breathing, which was good news. Sora was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. Both he and the filly were underneath the support beam he was carrying. He only had one option, scoop up the filly and make a break for the window. With great focus, Sora hefted the beam in the air, grabbed the unconscious filly, and leapt away before the large hunk of wood crushed them.

Sora's momentum halted when the floor began crumbling beneath him. It seemed that the beam crashing into the floor caused it to cave in under the pressure. The caramel pegasus looked down in trepidation as his only source of solid footing was falling apart. In this moment of extreme adrenaline, a thought occurred to him: he had wings, surely he could fly to escape this situation. But he never tried again since his first attempt, what if he failed to fly, thereby dooming himself and this child to a fiery end?

There didn't seem to be another option at the moment. Taking a deep breath and shutting his eyes closed, Sora clutched the filly tighter to his chest and made a leap just as the floor crumbled. The pegasus willed, more like prayed, his back appendages to grant him aviation. Hearing a flapping sound, Sora carefully opened his eyes to find that he was still on the second floor; more accurately, he was hovering above the first floor. Sora was successful, he was flying. As much as he wanted to revel in his accomplishment, the well being of the child was more important. The caramel pegasus looked towards the window he crashed into, that was his way out. Now was the issue of flying towards the window to safety. Sora wasn't sure how he would do that, but he was determined. With great fortitude, Sora lunged forward, using his wings to propel him towards the window.

The ponies outside watched in crushing anticipation when Sora jumped into the burning house. The silver mare in particular was silently praying with leaking eyes that this spiky maned stranger would rescue her little filly. The onlooker's anticipation end ed when Sora flew out of the broken window with an unconscious filly bundled in his hooves. He landed on the ground back first, likely to keep the filly from taking any brunt from the fall. Sora panted heavily as ponies gathered around him in awe. The pegasus mare sobbed in relief as she grabbed the unconscious filly from Sora's hooves and embraced her. As for Sora, he righted himself back on all fours, trying to catch his breath. Seeing the gray mare cry tears of joy brought a satisfying feeling to his heart. At this time, a group of pegasi had gathered some rain clouds and were using them to douse the fire.

"Is she going to be okay?" Sora asked to no one in particular. The brown stallion who held the mare back earlier approached her and took a critical look at the filly wrapped in her hooves.

"There are no major injuries," He diagnosed, "But the intensity of the flames has caused her to pass out. She'll require medical attention," The mare and stallion hurried over to the nearby hospital.

Sora felt at ease knowing that the little girl he rescued would be okay. His relief switched to bewilderment when the gathered crowd erupted in uproarious applause. The ponies gathered around Sora and hoisted him above ground. "Three cheers for the hero!" One of them proclaimed. The crowd chanted the customary "Hip, hip, hooray!" while launching Sora in the air. The caramel pegasus was more than flustered receiving this kind of treatment. Even when he was placed back on the ground, his new fans were bombarding him with praise and admiration. Sora could only rub the back of his head bashfully, appreciative of the crowd's kind words. He was able to scurry his way away from his adoring fans. Sora thought he should make his way back to the farm, the sun was close to setting.

_"That was an eventful day,"_ Sora thought back to the experiences he had today. He met a multitude of friendly ponies, did some lucrative farm work, learned how to fly, rescued a little girl and became a hero to the citizens of Ponyville. His mind was at such a state of peace that he failed to notice the pink presence behind him.

"Hey, Sora!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, startling the caramel pony once again. He looked back to find the smiling mare once again.

"Oh, it's just you, Pinkie," Sora sighed, "Do you need something?"

"Yeah, I need you to come with me for just a second," Pinkie covered Sora's eyes with hooves.

"Hey, what are you—" He didn't finish his sentence as the pink mare drag Sora for what felt like a few feet. Pinkie gave Sora back his vision. Now he found the new strangest building in town, a building designed to look like a gingerbread house. Now the caramel pegasus was craving gingerbread. Something wasn't right however, "Hey, wait a second..." Sora was in a completely different position just a second ago before Pinkie hijacked his sight, "How did you bring me here so quick?"

"I really need your help with something inside," Pinkie ignored him. Whatever she wanted Sora for, he was more than happy to oblige, even if she was incredibly weird. He walked through the doors, only to be met with pitch black darkness.

"Hey, where are the lights in here?" Sora asked. Just then, the lights were turned on.

"SURPRISE!" The interior was a bake shop, but wasn't the space's use at the moment. The room was filled with balloons, streamers, snack tables, and smiling ponies. Sora flinched back in shock, this was certainly not what he was expecting.

"Surprise!" Pinkie inexplicably appeared in front of Sora, "So what'ca think?"

"What's all this for?" Sora was completely thrown for a loop at this turn of events.

"It's a party for you, silly," Pinkie Pie stated the obvious.

"Okay, but why? It's not my birthday," Sora could not understand Pinkie's line of thought.

"Well, I figured that much, but I saw you in town earlier and I know I've never seen a mane like yours before and it occurred to me that you were new in town," Pinkie explained, "And since you were new in town I just had to throw you a party."

"Wait a minute," Sora processed Pinkie's explanation with excitement, "I get a party just for being new?"

"Duh. But when I was setting everything up I was thinking about what kind of cake I should bake. Then I got worried if I made a cake you didn't like it would ruin the party for you, so I asked you what kind of cake you liked and you said chocolate, so I baked you a delicious triple decker fudge chocolate cake!" Pinkie presented her culinary creation on a nearby table. Just looking at the cake made Sora's mouth water, "C'mon, lets party!"

Sora was more than happy to obey Pinkie's orders. He threw himself towards the nearest snack table, surveying all the scrumptious looking treats available. He settled on a pink cupcake which he shoved strait into his mouth. It was really good, so much that he ate another, and another, and another.

"Quite the little piggy, ain't ya," Drawled a familiar southern accent. Sora pivoted his form to find Applejack looking at him with a cheeky grin. The caramel pegasus quickly swallowed his current cupcake.

"Hey, Applejack," Sora greeted the farm mare with an awkward smile, "You made it to the party too?"

"Pinkie Pie invited me here," Applejack explained, "From what ah've heard, you've made quite a name for yerself her in Ponyville."

"I have?" Sora tiled his head with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, most certainly, darling," Said Rarity. Sora looked to his left to find her, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were at the party as well, "I've heard from some ponies that you braved a burning building to save the life of a defenseless filly. I knew you had an eye for fashion when we met, but who would have thought you were such a dashing hero as well."

"You heard about that?" Sora questioned. That news certainly spread quickly.

"Everypony's been talking about it since it happened," Rainbow Dash commented, "I mean, I could've pulled it off, but it's cool," Sora gave the cyan mare a speculative smirk.

"I'm sure you could've," He responded sarcastically.

"But it still really brave of you," Fluttershy said softly, bringing a genuine smile to Sora's face. Sora then thought back to Pinkie Pie and all her weird antics.

"Hey, can any of you answer me a question about Pinkie Pie."

"Sora," Applejack interrupted, "Let me jus' answer yer question for ya. Ya'll shouldn't question anything Pinkie Pie does."

"What, why?"

"Trust us, Sora," Rainbow Dash added, "You'll sleep better at night not thinking about," The rest of the mares all nodded their heads in affirmation. Since everyone was telling him not to question Pinkie, Sora decided to go along with the pink mare's antics.

"Hey, what's going on?" Speaking of, Pinkie appeared right in front of Sora, again, startling him, again.

"Oh, it's nothing, Pinkie," Sora answered, "We were just talking about stuff."

"That's good that you're talking with your new friends," Pinkie said with a big smile, "You've been here only a day and you already have so many friends. You must be some kind of friendship expert or something."

Sora rubbed the back of his head as he surveyed the five mares he befriended today. He was glad he got to meet all of these great ponies. Applejack was a hard worker with a high moral compass, Fluttershy was a compassionate caretaker willing to aid any creature, Rarity was a passionate creator with a heart of gold, Rainbow Dash was a confident athlete with big dreams; and Pinkie Pie was an energetic mare who goes above and beyond to make others happy. The party went on for hours, with Sora and his new friends playing all manner of different games, including "pin the tail on the pony." As the party went on, Sora felt more and more at ease. Of all the places he could be stranded in, Equestria was a great place.


	4. Friendship is Magic Part 1

**Before the chapter begins, I first want to say how grateful I am for all the positive reception this story has received. It's a cliche but knowing people enjoy the story motivates me to keep writing. Anyway, it's time to introduce somepony I know some of you have been waiting for. I hope you enjoy.**

—

Four days passed since Sora's first day in Equestria. He spent much his time working on the apple farm, helping Applejack and Big Mac out in the fields and doing whatever else he could. Whenever he was off duty, Sora would be mingling with the townsfolk. Today was a special day for the Apples as today was the Apple family reunion. Right now, Sora was helping Apple Bloom set up tables for the event.

"Are you sure ya don't wanna be in the reunion, Sora?" Apple Bloom asked him.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Sora answered. He was still a relative stranger to the Apple family. He had already talked to the family about his decision, "I don't want to get in the way of your reunion."

"O-okay then," Apple Bloom muttered, disappointed that Sora wouldn't be a part of the get-together. Since he arrived on the farm, Sora quickly became friends with little Apple Bloom. He would play with her whenever he had an opportunity, giving her piggy back rides and making games out of chores. Seeing Apple Bloom sad, Sora decided to cheer her up.

"Hey, it's not like I'm leaving for good or anything," Sora reassured, playfully messing with Apple Bloom's mane. The filly giggled in delight before slapping his hoof away.

"We sure are busy today," Apple Bloom commented, now in higher spirits, "With the reunion and the caterin' for the Summer Sun Celebration," Sora tilted his head.

"What's the Summer Sun Celebration?" He asked, earning him a wide eyed look from Apple Bloom.

"You've never heard of the Summer Sun Celebration?!" She exclaimed in bewilderment, but a frown from Sora reminded her of a rather important detail, "Oh, that's right, yer not from here. The Summer Sun Celebration is where we celebrate the longest day of the year. This year, the festival is being held here in Ponyville, where Princess Celestia will show up to raise the sun."

"That's pretty cool," Sora responded, then he was metaphorically hit with a load of bricks, "Wait, Princess Celestia? She'll be here?"

"Oh, ah guess you've heard of her," The yellow filly noted.

"Y-yeah," He replied, not really paying attention. He drifted his eyes elsewhere, trying to comprehend what he just learned. The story he read the other day must not have been that old if Celestia was still around.

Apple Bloom continued with her explanation of the event, "The Summer Sun Celebration is the anniversary of when Celestia beat a great evil a thousand years ago."

"Woah! What?!" Sora's pupils shrunk as small as they could possibly get, "She's over a thousand years old?!" Guess the legend was older than he thought, "That's nuts!"

"Ah know!" The yellow filly bounced excitedly, "Isn't that amazin'?" Sora didn't respond, but he was in complete agreement. It never crossed his mind that Celestia would be that old. Is she immortal?

"Hey," Apple Bloom brought Sora back to reality, "Are ya gonna help me with this table cloth or not," She motioned to a red and white plaid table cloth that had yet to be draped over a round table.

"Oh yeah, sorry."

—

Sora left soon after his conversation with Apple Bloom. Right now, he was gently flying through Ponyville, looking for something to occupy his time. He had been working on perfecting his flight skills after rescuing that unicorn filly the other day. The caramel pegasus thought back to what he learned about Celestia, that being she is over a millennium old.

"How old is Celestia anyway?" Sora pondered as a literal shadow was cast over him. Curious, he lifted his head to find two pegasi clad in golden armor pulling a chariot with two passengers. The first was a light purple unicorn mare with violet eyes, a simple dark blue mane and tail with streaks of violet and pink, and a cutie mark of a pink star surrounded by five smaller white stars. Next to her was a purple baby dragon with green eyes and spines. The unicorn looked to be in a bad mood as the dragon read to her writings from a scroll.

"I wonder who they are," Sora said. Well, it never hurt to meet new people.

"Look on the bright side, Twilight. The Princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn't that make you happy?" The dragon said, already in a conversation with the unicorn named Twilight. The two pegasi landed the chariot, Twilight and the dragon exited soon after.

"Yes, yes it does," Twilight responded to the question, holding her head up confidently with her eyes closed, "You know why? Because I'm right! I'll check on the preparations so that—"

"Hey there!" Sora greeted out of the blue, startling Twilight out of her little speech, "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as Twilight raised her eyebrow, "I'm Sora, what're your names?"

The dragon walked forward and offered his hand to shake, which Sora accepted without hesitation, "I'm Spike. Nice to meet you, Sora," Twilight seemed a bit more hesitant, but she relented.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," She greeted, "Sorry, but we don't have time for idle chit-chat, we're very busy."

"Busy with what?" Sora inquired.

"We're here to quickly oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow," Twilight answered

"So your like the supervisor," Sora noted.

"Yes, and I wish to see to the preparations as quickly as possible so that I may conduct some important research," Twilight trotted forward, saying "thank you" to the pegasus soldiers who carried her and Spike to Ponyville.

"Can I help?" Sora offered, confusing Twilight. The purple unicorn looked at the smiling pegasus for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't think we need it," Twilight replied, earning her a look of disappointment from Spike.

"C'mon, Twilight, the Princess said to make some friends," The small drake pointed out, but the lavender mare didn't seem to pay his statement much mind. Sora's eyes widened in shock. Did Spike mean Princess Celestia? These two knew her?

"Spike, I don't need any ridiculous friend-making getting in the way of my studies. I've told you this before," Twilight's response surprised Sora immensely. Why wouldn't she want to make new friends?

"Spike's right," Sora interjected, flying up to Twilight, "You should at least try to make one friend," Twilight simply gave the caramel pegasus a deadpan stare. He then noticed Pinkie Pie trotting up towards the trio, "How about her? She should have some interesting things to say," Twilight looked at Sora skeptically, but both he and Spike were giving the purple unicorn expecting glances. She gave an annoyed sigh with a roll of her eyes.

"Fine," Twilight cleared her throat and approached the pink mare, "Hello?" Pinkie then gasped loudly, shot up into the air, and bolted away. Sora could only give a nervous smile as Twilight gazed at him with her blank stare, "Well, that was certainly interesting. Spike, what is first on our list?"

The baby dragon pulled out a quill and a roll of paper from—somewhere as he gave his reply, "First up is the catering, provided by Sweet Apple Acres."

Sora trotted in front of the unicorn and dragon, "Oh, I work there, I can lead you there if you want. Trust me, your going to love the dishes they'll make," Twilight felt unsure about this strange pegasus, but he claimed to know where their destination was.

"I suppose we could do with a guide," Twilight admitted with a sigh, "Very well, lead the way... Sora, was it?"

"Yeah. C'mon, this way," Sora trotted towards Sweet Apple Acres with Twilight and Spike not far behind.

"See, Twilight," Spike whispered to her, "You've already made a new friend."

"Spike, we've just met him," Twilight reasoned, just quiet enough so that Sora didn't hear her, "I will do what the Princess asks of me and oversee the preparations, but the fate of Equestria does not wrest with me making friends."

—

It wasn't long before the trio arrived at their destination. As the pegasus, unicorn and dragon trotted the path alongside the picket fence, Applejack came into view, galloping up to a tree with a "Yehaw!" before bucking off it's apples.

"Hey, Applejack!" Sora called, catching the farm mare's attention.

"Sora," She greeted with a smile on her face, "Did ya changed yer mind?"

"Not exactly," Sora admitted, leaping onto the other side of the fence, "I'm just showing them the farm is all," He motioned towards Twilight and Spike. The purple unicorn put on a polite face and approached the orange mare.

"Good Afternoon," Twilight graciously greeted, "I'm Twilight Sparkle—" She was taken out of her introduction when Applejack began to furiously shake the unicorn's hoof.

"Well howdy-doo, Miss Twilight, it's a pleasure makin' yer acquaintance," Applejack graciously greeted, "Any friend of Sora's is a friend of mine."

"Friend?" Twilight said with uncertainty, her voice reverberating from the farm mare's hoof shake, "Actually, I—" Applejack released her hold on Twilight's hoof, but the unicorn's fore-leg continued to bob up and down. It didn't stop shaking until Spike held it still.

"Now what can ah do for ya, Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"They're here to check on the preparations for the celebration tomorrow," Sora explained.

"That's correct, Twilight affirmed, "Sora was kind enough to bring us here. I understand that Sweet Apple Acres is catering the food for the festival.

"We sure as sugar are!" Applejack stated proudly, "Would ya like to sample some?" Twilight considered the offer. She was feeling a little peckish. Maybe a small snack wouldn't hurt.

"Well, as long as it doesn't take too long," The purple unicorn agreed with a smile. Applejack trotted off, presumably to collect some dishes for Twilight. That wasn't exactly the case, the orange mare was currently ring a triangle.

"Soup's on, everypony!" Applejack declared. Feeling the earth rumble beneath them, Twilight, Spike and Sora turned their heads to find a stampede of ponies charging towards them. They had no opportunity to flee, so they were carried forward to a nearby table. Applejack appeared next to them.

"Now, why don't ah introduce y'all to the Apple family?" She offered. Twilight now had second thoughts about staying.

"Thanks, but I really need to—" She was cut off when Applejack shoved an apple fritter in Twilight's mouth.

"This here's Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp..." every family member Applejack named held a dish corresponding to their name. Applejack took in a deep breath before continuing, "Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom aaaaaaannnnnd—Granny Smith," The old mare was currently asleep in her rocking chair. Sora was amazed that she manage to sleep through all that commotion, "Up'n'attem, Granny Smith, we got guests."

Granny Smith woke from her nap, lethargically rising from her rocking chair to slowly approach Twilight, "Wha..? Soup's on? I'm up, here I come, ah'm comin'..." Sora wondered how all these family members arrived so quickly. He only left a little less than a half hour ago.

"Why, I'd say you're already part of the family!" Applejack proclaimed, wrapping a hoof around Twilight.

Spiting out the food that was shoved in her mouth, Twilight could only respond with a nervous chuckle, "Well, I can see that the food has been taken care of. We'll just see ourselves out."

"Aren't ya gonna stay for brunch?" Came the voice of Apple Bloom, looking up at Twilight with a filly's deadliest weapons, big teary eyes and a quivering lip.

"Sorry, but we really have to go," Twilight replied, much to the disappointment of the Apples. Sora was appalled Twilight could deny such a cute little creature.

"Come on Twilight," Sora lifted Apple Bloom to eye level with Twilight, "How can you say no to a face like this? At least stay for a little while longer," Twilight looked over the sad faces of the Apple family, then her attention drifted towards Apple Bloom once again. Those large puppy-dog eyes bore into her very soul. She leveled her gaze to Sora, who looked at her with a goofy smile.

"Ugh, fine," She relented with a frown. The Apples all cheered in joy. Now all the relatives were offering Twilight and Spike apple related delicacies. The little drake dug in without question but Twilight was feeling overwhelmed. Sora set Apple Bloom back on the ground and shared a smile with her. He then stood next to Applejack.

"That sure is alot of food," Sora noted to her.

"Sure is. Why do ya think we harvested so many apples yesterday?" The farm mare playfully inquired. Sora remembered he, Applejack and Big Mac harvested more apples than usual yesterday, but the caramel pegasus didn't think anything of it. Turns out they were for catering for an event Sora hadn't heard of, "Say, you sure ya don't wanna stay for the reunion? I don't think the others mind."

"Nah," Sora answered, "I think I'll stay with Twilight and Spike a bit more."

"Alright ten," Applejack replied, "But yer gonna be in the next reunion, ya hear," There was no animosity or forcefulness in her voice, just a sense of playful banter.

"Yes, ma'am!" Sora jokingly saluted.

—

"Man, that really good!" Spike said with a satisfied stomach. The trio made their way back into town after enjoying a delicious meal courtesy of the Apple family.

"I told you. The Apples make the best food," Sora trotted up in front. Twilight headed up the rear, experiencing a bad stomachache.

"Ugh... I ate too much pie..." She complained, mostly to herself.

"But it was good, right?" Sora tried to lighten the mood, but a fierce glare from Twilight convinced him to change the subject, "So, Spike, what's next?"

"Well, there's supposed to be a pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash clearing the skies for the ceremony," Spike explained, looking up at the sky for any sign of Rainbow, but there was no pony in sight up above.

"Huh, I didn't know Rainbow was on weather duty," Sora commented. Twilight took a peek at the sky, finding that the sky was still very much cloudy.

"Well, miss Rainbow Dash appears to be slacking off on her duties," As if fate was knocking on the door, a rainbow blur smacked Twilight away into a pile of mud, causing both Sora and Spike to cringe. Sora recalled how painful it was when Rainbow Dash crashed into him.

Rainbow Dash got up from her crash, realizing that she flew into somepony. Giving a sheepish smile, the cyan mare addressed Twilight, "Uh, 'scuse me?" Twilight groaned in pain as she righted herself, now covered in mud.

"Jeez, Rainbow!" Sora scolded, "Do you even watch where you're going? You could've seriously hurt someone."

"I just made a wrong turn is all," Rainbow Dash brushed it off. Twilight, for her part, was wiping away the mud all over her coat, "lemme get that for you," Rainbow took a random rain cloud and placed it above Twilight. Hoping on top of it, Rainbow accidentally poured an over abundant amount of water all over the annoyed unicorn.

"Oops, I guess I overdid it," The cyan mare said sheepishly, "Um, how about this? My very own patented Rain-Blow Dry!" Now Rainbow Dash quickly flew around Twilight, creating a miniature tornado that dried her off right away, "There ya go. Don't thank me. You're quite welcome," Rainbow Dash looked towards the purple unicorn. Twilight was dry, but the force of Rainbow's tornado caused her mane and tail to frizz in a comically poofy fashion. Rainbow tried not to laugh, but she caved in and fell on the floor in riotous laughter. Spike and Sora couldn't help but cackle themselves seeing such a ridiculous mane.

Twilight did her best to compose herself, being the center of all this laughter, "You're Rainbow Dash, I presume," The cyan pegasus ceased her chortling to address Twilight.

"The one and only," She introduced with a pose that said confidence, "Why, you heard of me?"

"I was told—" Twilight tried to talk to Rainbow Dash, but Spike and Sora's laughter was incredibly distracting. She shot a sideways glance at them and cleared her throat to get them to stop, "Are you two done?"

"Sorry," Sora apologized with a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his head, "I couldn't help myself," Twilight sighed in exasperation, she was starting to regret letting Sora accompany her and Spike. He didn't seem to take things seriously.

Twilight turned her attention to Rainbow once again, "I was told you were supposed to be keeping the sky clear, a job which you have done very poorly," She said, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and the Princess sent me to check on the weather."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem," Rainbow brushed off the purple unicorn's words, flying up to lay down on a cloud, "I'll do it soon enough. Just as soon as I'm done practicing."

"Practicing for what?" Twilight asked.

"The Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash answered with excitement evident in her tone of voice, pointing towards a poster with ponies in blue uniforms wearing flight googles, "They're gonna perform at the celebration tomorrow, and I'm gonna show 'em my stuff! Once they see my awesome moves, they'll ask me to join them in a heartbeat!"

Twilight had a hard time comprehending what she had just heard, "The Wonderbolts?" She snidely remarked.

"Yep!"

"The most talented flyers in all of Equestria?"

"That's them!"

"Pfft! Please," Twilight spoke her doubts, "The Wonderbolts would never allow some lazy pegasus who can't keep the sky clear to join their ranks," Rainbow looked Twilight in the eye, lazily.

"Hey, I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat," Rainbow stated matter of factly.

"Yeah right!" Twilight disregarded Rainbow's claim with a laugh.

"I think she could do it," Sora threw in his two cents. He'd seen Rainbow's moves before. Clearing the sky fast should be easy for her. Twilight looked at him skeptically, "She's really fast. I can barely follow her movements when she gets going."

"See, Sora's got faith. Clearing the sky will be a cinch," Rainbow bragged.

"Prove it," Twilight challenged, still unconvinced of Rainbow Dash's abilities. With a determined grin, Rainbow Dash bolted off her cloud and went to work destroying every cloud in Ponyville at supersonic speeds. The only visible proof of Rainbow Dash was the multi-colored blur zigzagging into every cloud. Each cloud the blur touched dissipated, and they were disappearing at a rapid rate. Sora and Spike were awestruck at the display while Twilight went slack jawed. Once the sky line of Ponyville was all but clear, Rainbow landed on a nearby bridge with backflip.

"Bam! What'd I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging," Twilight didn't respond, she just continued to stare at the clear sky that was cloudy exactly ten seconds ago, "You should see the look on your face. Ha! You're a laugh, Twilight Sparkle. I can't wait to hang out some more," Rainbow Dash bolted away, leaving the trio alone once more.

"See, told ya she could do it," Sora said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Spike affirmed, impressed with Rainbow's speed, "She's amazing," Twilight snapped out of her shock to find Sora and Spike chuckling at her frizzy mane again. With a huff, she stormed off in a random direction.

"Wait! It's kinda nice once you get used to it!" Sora tried to recompense as he and Spike followed after Twilight.

—

The next stop on Spike's list was town hall, where decorations for the ceremony were being set up. The entire space was looking magnificent with ribbons and flowers adorning the balconies.

"Beautiful..." Spike trailed off in a daze.

"It is beautiful," Sora agreed.

"Yes, it certainly is," Twilight agreed also, "The décor is coming along nicely. This will take no time at all."

"Not the décor, her..." Spike trailed off, pointing towards Rarity, who was busy decided which ribbon she should use to decorate a curtain.

"Oh, it's Rarity," Sora said, "Let me go talk to her," Sora flew over to the fashionista while Spike was hit was a case of 'love at first sight.'

"How are my spines?" The baby dragon hastily adjusted his appearance, "Are they straight?" Twilight looked at Spike with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey Rarity," Sora called for her. Rarity had her back to him.

"Sora! Just a moment! I'm 'in the zone', as it were," She finally found the perfect ribbon: glittery cheery red, "Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why, Rarity, you are a talent," She turned her attention to the caramel pegasus after she tied the bow into place, "I was hoping I'd bump into you, Sora."

"Really? What for?" He questioned.

"Well, you see—" Rarity cut herself off when she saw Twilight and her frizzy mane. Screaming in horror, Rarity pushed Sora out of her way and galloped over to Twilight, "Sweet Celestia! Darling, whatever happened to your coiffure?!"

Coiffure? What in the world did that—"Oh, you mean my mane?" Twilight responded, Sora stood back up from Rarity's push and leered at the fashionista, "Well, it's a long story. I'm just here to check on the decorations, then I'll be out of your hair."

"Out of my hair?" Rarity screeched, "What about your hair?! No, this will simply not do at all!" She declared. Rarity began pushing Twilight out of the building, much to the purple unicorn's displeasure.

"Hey what are you doing?" Twilight demanded.

"We're going to fix that disaster you call a mane!" Rarity over-dramatically declared.

"Spike? Sora?" Twilight called out, "Help!"

"You really do need to get your hair fixed," Sora responded truthfully, and Spike was stuck in a daze.

"What?!" Twilight yelled almost hysterically, getting pushed out the door.

"C'mon, Spike," Sora began following after Rarity and Twilight, but he noticed Spike wasn't following him. He looked at the purple drake to find him still in a lovestruck trance, "Hello?" Sora waved a hoof in front of Spike, but got no response. Sora decided to lob the drake on his back and carry him to where Rarity was taking Twilight.

The two unicorns made a trip to Carousel Boutique. Rarity did more than fix Twilight's mane, she also had Twilight try on a variety of different outfits to "help her find her beauty" as Rarity put it. Right now, Twilight was wearing a white corset adorned with emeralds. Sora and Spike were off to the side. Sora was really just waiting for Rarity to finish while Spike was admiring the marshmallow unicorn's beauty.

"Now go on, my dear. You were telling me where you're from," Rarity pulled onto the straps on Twilight's outfit, which cut off the purple unicorn's breathing.

"I've... been sent... from Canterlot... to—" Rarity released her grip on Twilight's harness, catapulting the former halfway across the room.

"Canterlot?!" Rarity's eyes twinkled with excitement, "Oh, I am so envious! The glamour, the sophistication! It's been my life-long dream to live there! You must tell me all about it! We are gonna be the best of friends, you and I," Twilight looked unsure and nervous as Rarity placed her fore-leg on the purple pony's back. Rarity then took notice of Sora, who was doing his best not to laugh at Twilight's expense, "Oh Sora, apologies for earlier. I wanted to say I've been working on those new designs we discussed and I desperately want your input."

"Mine? Why ask my opinion?" Sora asked.

"These new pieces were inspired by your fabulous jacket," Rarity explained, "And I did promise you'd be the first to see them," Sora was interested in seeing what Rarity had devised for her new line.

"Alright then, where are they?" Sora answered with a question.

"Just over here," Rarity led Sora to a different room in the boutique. With the two ponies occupied with something else, Twilight decided to make her escape.

"Quick! Before she decides to dye my coat a new color!" Twilight grabbed hold of a love-struck Spike with her magic and galloped out the front door.

—

Sora wasn't sure where Twilight and Spike ran off to. After he saw the outfits in Rarity's new line, which were amazing in Sora's opinion, he decided to look for them. His search brought him over to the park where he met Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. He had no leads whatsoever. His attention was then drawn to a flock of birds that loudly dispersed from a single tree. Wanting to see what the commotion was about, Sora flew over to that very location and found Spike standing next to a bush.

"Hey, there you are," Sora greeted Spike, who responded with a smile, "Where's Twilight?"

"She's over there," spike pointed over to the purple pony who was conversing with...

"Fluttershy?" Sora said in bewilderment, "What's Twilight doing with Fluttershy?"

"Is that her name? Well, it turns out Fluttershy's in charge of the music for the ceremony," Spike explained.

Sora's eyes widened, "Seriously?" How and why was a reserved and shy mare like Fluttershy in charge of music? She likely must have stage fright.

"Yeah, she has this really awesome bird choir," Spike enthusiastically detailed. Sora nodded his head, it made sense for Fluttershy to make music with chirping birds, "Too bad you didn't get to hear the bird singing," Spike said, "It was amazing."

"I'm sure it was," Sora then remembered something he meant to ask earlier, but the numerous sidetracks distracted him, "Hey, Spike, I remember you mentioning the Princess earlier. Do you two know her?"

"Sure do," Spike replied, "Twilight's Princess Celestia's own personal magic student."

Sora couldn't believe his ears, "Really?!" He exclaimed in astonishment, "Wow, she must be really powerful."

"Sure is. Twilight is unbelievably gifted with magic," Spike affirmed. Sora was beside himself, all day he was in the company of a Princess' personal protégé.

Meanwhile with Twilight, she had tried to open up a conversation with Fluttershy, but the yellow mare's shyness around strangers got the better of her. She was barely able to speak her name when Twilight asked for it. Eventually, the unicorn awkwardly made her leave as Fluttershy hid herself behind her mane. Twilight made her way back to Spike, surprised to find Sora stand next to her assistant. She wasn't excited to see him, she was more disappointed than anything else.

"Oh, hey, it's you..." Twilight said to Sora with little enthusiasm, "What are you doing here?"

"I lost track of you guys at Rarity's," Sora explained, "So I came looking for you."

"Oh, that's nice," Twilight responded despondently, "At least I can talk to you," She added, referring to the mare hiding behind her mane named Fluttershy.

"You know, she'll open up if you start talking about animals," Sora remembered his first meeting with the reserved mare turning a different direction quickly after he began talking about the various animals he had met.

"Sure, whatever," Twilight didn't really seem to care, "On the bright side, I'm finally done with everything on the list. Now I can get to the library," She addressed Sora directly, "Thanks for your—help," she uttered that last word with hesitation, "but Spike and I can take it from here."

Looking through her mane, Fluttershy caught a glimpse of Spike. Almost immediately, her attitude changed to excited, "A baby dragon!" She rushed over to him, knocking over Twilight in the process, "I've never seen one up close before. He's so cute."

"Well, well, well..." Spike reveled in the attention as Twilight got up from the hard push she received.

"Oh my, he talks. I didn't even know dragons could talk," Fluttershy gushed, flying up in excitement, "This is so wonderful, I don't even know what to say!"

"Told you she likes animals," Sora reaffirmed to Twilight, who paid his statement no mind.

She hastily pulled Spike on her back with her magic, "Well, we should be going now," Twilight began trotting away, but Fluttershy followed at a steady pace with Sora right next to her.

"Wait, what's his name?" Asked enthusiastically, as enthusiastically as she could with her soft voice.

"I'm Spike."

"Hi, Spike, I'm Fluttershy," Twilight wore a grumpy expression as she knew she wouldn't be away from these silly pegasi, "Wow, a talking dragon. What do dragons talk about?"

"What do you wanna know?" Spike was more than happy to share information about himself, but Twilight would think differently.

"Everything," Fluttershy requested, stunning Twilight with fear. Now she was stuck with these two even longer.

"Yeah, Spike, how 'bout it?" Sora encouraged, further frustrating Twilight.

"Well... I strated out as a cute little purple and green egg..."

One incredibly long and detailed backstory later and Spike finished his tale.

"And that's the story of my whole entire life," He concluded. Twilight was twitching her eye in irritation, unbeknownst to Spike, Sora, or Fluttershy. The sun was starting to set.

"Hey, Look at that, we're at the library," Sora announced. Twilight jolted her head towards the Golden Oak's Library and smiled widely. Sanctuary at last.

"You know, I didn't tell you about today," Spike told Fluttershy," Wanna hear about—gah!" Twilight quickly turned around, cutting off Spike's conversation with Fluttershy and Sora.

"It's been great spending time with both of you," The unicorn said with a forced smile, "But it's getting late and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep."

"No I don't—" Spike voiced his protests, but Twilight lurched the small dragon off her back. Spike yelped in response and fell down hard on his bottom.

"Aww, wook at dat, he's so sweepy he can't even keep his widdle bawance!" Twilight feigned worry as Spike scowled at her.

"Poor little guy," Sora bought into Twilight's facade, "We should tuck him into bed," Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, we'll get right on that," She hastily opened the door to the library and used her unicorn magic to pull in Spike with her "Well, g'night!" She slammed the door in Sora and Fluttershy's faces. Miraculously, a window from the upper floor of the library opened up, revealing a familiar pony.

"In here," she gently called over to Sora and Fluttershy. The two pegasi shared a glance with each other and smiled. They knew what this was about. Without another word, the two flew up to the window.

"Rude much?" Spike retorted with his arms crossed in the pitch black darkness that was the library.

"Sorry, Spike, but we're running out of time," Twilight responded, "I just need time to study without a bunch of crazy ponies getting in the way. Now, where's the lights?"

The lights did turn on at that moment, to reveal a party, "SURPRISE!" The hiding ponies declared. Twilight took a second to process what happened, then her face slumped in annoyance.

"Surprise!" A familiar pink mare appeared in front of the flustered unicorn, "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie and this party is just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya?"

"Yes, I was," Twilight admitted deadpan, "Aren't libraries supposed to be quiet?"

"Yeah, but what kind of 'Welcome to Ponyville' party would this be if it were quiet? I mean duh. Bo-ring!" Twilight didn't want a party, she just wanted peace and quiet. She grumpily trotted away from Pinkie, who continued to speak, "Y'see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all "hello" and I gasped really loudly, remember? See I didn't recognize you and if I didn't recognize you that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville!"

Twilight groaned in annoyance, approaching the snack table, "And if you're new, that meant you didn't know anypony yet, and if you didn't know yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, so I needed to throw you a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and I realized I would be throwing two 'Welcome to Ponyville' parties in one week and that made me super excited to throw you the most super-stupendous party ever and invite everypony in Ponyville!" Sora, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy joined up with Pinkie and Twilight, who wasn't paying attention to the pink mare's words and was instead absentmindedly pouring a a bottle of unknown liquid into a chalice and drinking from it, "See? And now you have lots and lots of friends!" Twilight suddenly stopped drinking and began shaking.

"Hey, Twilight, you okay?" The purple unicorn turned around, looking like she was in great pain. Her entire face was red and her eyes were leaking. Sora wasn't sure, but he could swear he saw smoke coming out of Twilight's ears. With flailing limbs, Twilight scrambled upstairs.

"Aww, she's so happy she's crying," Pinkie said, though the others didn't think that was the case based on Twilight's expression. Sora grabbed the bottle Twilight poured into the chalice.

"Hot sauce?" He read. Pinkie grabbed the bottle with her... hair? And poured some of the sauce on a cupcake. She then lobbed the cupcake in the air and ate it in a single bite. The other mares and Sora looked at Pinkie with trepidation as she chewed.

"What? It's good!" She said with her mouth full.

—

The party went on for many hours. It was well into the night and Twilight had isolated herself from most of it on the second floor, which had a fully functioning bedroom. The loud music from downstairs still managed to penetrate the walls of Twilight's haven. Her ears twitched when she heard the door open. Sora walked into the room to find a grumpy Twilight lying on a bed and holding a pillow over her head.

"Twilight, aren't you gonna join the party," Sora asked, earning him a growl from the purple unicorn.

"No!" She spat, lifting her head to look at Sora, "You and everypony else in this town are crazy! Do you even know what time it is?"

"Well, the Summer Sun Celebration is going to start pretty soon," Sora answered, "Why are you holed up in here? This party's for you after all."

"I never wanted this stupid party!" Twilight retorted in anger, "I just wanted to study!" Twilight turned her back to Sora and pulled the pillow on her head down even tighter, "Just leave me alone."

"Can't you just study another time?" Sora suggested, not out of any ill will, but the purple unicorn didn't take it very well.

Twilight's left eye twitched in annoyance. At that moment, Twilight released all of her pent up frustrations, "Rrrruuuuuuuuuggghhhhhhhh! Why?! Why can't I get a break?!" Sora flinched back as Twilight leapt off the bed and continued on with her rant, "Here I thought I'd have time to learn about the Elements of Harmony but, silly me, all this ridiculous friend-making has kept me from it!"

"Elements of Harmony?" Sora recalled hearing about those when reading through Celestia and Luna's tale. The way that Twilight was acting gave Sora cause for concern. She seemed to believe that studying the Elements of Harmony was very important, "Twilight, what's going on? Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, you know, I just have reason to believe that an ancient evil will shroud Equestria in eternal night," Twilight chuckled sarcastically, "If only I wasn't bombarded with pointless distractions all day, then I might have learned how to stop it!"

Sora started to grow worried. Eternal night? That didn't sound good at all, "Twilight, if it's really that bad, let me help you," He offered, but the purple unicorn scowled in response.

"I don't want your help! You've been nothing but a nuisance all day!" Twilight spat. Her entire day had been one infuriating experience after another, and she was venting her anger onto this goofy pegasus, "You couldn't possibly stop any kind of evil because you're an enormous dolt who can't take anything seriously! If you really want to help me, then leave me alone and never talk to me again!" Sora was shocked from Twilight's angry response. Looking at her venomous scowl, the caramel pony knew talking to her wouldn't help matters. With a saddened expression, he obliged to her wishes and exited the room, making sure to close the door behind him.

Letting out a huff, Twilight calmed down and grew incredibly worried; the day was pretty much done and she hadn't made any progress on learning how to defeat this great evil. She trotted over to the window and gazed at the full moon, seeing an image of a unicorn's face on it's surface, _"Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night,"_ Twilight recited, "I really hope the princess is right and it is just an old pony's tale."

As Sora rejoined the lively party on the first floor, he contemplated what Twilight had told him, "Even if you don't want my help, I won't let anything cover this world in darkness," He whispered.

—

It wasn't long until the opening ceremony of the Summer Sun Celebration was about to commence. Town hall was filled with ponies eagerly awaiting the arrival of Princess Celestia. Sora was more than interested to see the Princess for himself, but Twilight's words hung over him like a storm cloud. A great evil plunging the world in eternal night would make anyone nervous. Sora casted a glance towards Twilight, who had Spike sitting on her back. Both she and Sora met gazes when they entered the building. The purple unicorn scowled at him and trotted away from him. Sora wasn't mad at her, she was obviously frustrated. Looking at Twilight now, her face showed only one expression: worry. Sora couldn't help but feel nervous himself. If this great evil was real, it would spell disaster for all of Equestria. And then Pinkie Pie appeared next to Sora.

"Isn't this exciting?" She caught him off guard, "Are you excited, cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited—well, except for the time that I saw Twilight walking into town earlier and I gasped loudly like this," Pinkie imitated a deep gasp, "But I mean really, what can top that?"

Sora smiled at her mini-tangent. That helped lighten the mood, if only a little bit.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" A standing ovation followed, but neither Twilight nor Sora gave their applause, "In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria..."

Fluttershy gave her cue for her bird choir to start singing. Spike was right, Fluttershy's birds create such a beautiful melody.

"Princess Celestia!" Mayor Mare announced, motioning towards a balcony where Rarity was set to pull open the front curtains. The curtains opened to reveal—nothing. There was no one on the other side. Everypony gasped in shock and began talking amongst one another.

"Stay calm, everypony," The mayor tried to calm the panicking ponies, "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation."

"Maybe she's playing hide and seek!" Pinkie suggested. Sora looked at her with an expression that said 'seriously?'

"She's gone!" Rarity screeched, having made her way to the bottom floor. This news only caused more worry among the citizens of Ponyville.

"This can't be good..." Sora breathed. Just as he said that, the room grew more dark. Tendrils of dark energy swirled through the building, coalescing into single dark orb where Celestia was supposed to be.

From the orb of darkness emerged a different kind of pony from what Sora had seen thus far. She was exceedingly taller than any other pony Sora had seen. Her coat was pitch black, her eyes were green and serpentine, a splotch of dark blue was on her flank as well as a crescent moon cutie mark, and a transparent blue, starry mane and tail that seemed to flow from an unseen breeze. She also had the distinction of having both a horn and wings, which were far longer than what was average. This distinction made her an alicorn, a being with the strength of all three pony races. She wore a light blue armored helmet, a chest piece that had a moon decal on the front, and elegant shoes on all of her hooves. She opened her green serpentine eyes and curled her lips into a sinister grin.

"My dear subjects," She spoke in a booming voice, causing Spike to faint and fall off Twilight's back, "How long it has been so long since I have laid eyes on your precious, sun-loving faces," Twilight looked up at the moon through town hall's open ceiling, finding the image of the unicorn's face gone from the surface. The ponies present all displayed fear at the arrival of this dark being, except Rainbow Dash.

"What have you done with the princess?" She demanded, preparing to dive bomb the intruder; however, Applejack bit down on the cyan mare's tail to keep her in place.

"What's this? Has it been so long that you have all but forgotten me?" The dark mare taunted, "Did none of you see the signs?"

"I did!" Twilight spoke up, standing forward in defiance, "I know who you are! You're the Mare in the Moon—Nightmare Moon."

"She's the sister from the story," Sora whispered. He recalled that Celestia's sister was consumed by her own jealousy and was banished to the moon. This was the great evil Twilight spoke of? How could she have escaped her imprisonment?

"Well, at least one of you knows who I am," Nightmare Moon snickered in delight, looking at Twilight in a sinister manner, "Then you understand why I am here."

Twilight's courage suddenly evaporated under Nightmare Moon's gaze, "You're here to... to..." The lavender mare took a few steps back in fear. The dark mare reveled in the unicorn's trepidation.

"Remember this day, little ponies, for it will be your last. From this moment forth, the night shall last FOREVER!" She cackled loudly as thunder roared in the sky.

Sora steeled himself, this was going to be a tough battle.


	5. Friendship is Magic Part 2

The situation was looking very bad right now. The Princess had gone missing before the Summer Sun Celebration could officially begin. To make matters even worse, an ancient villain of the past had resurfaced and was threatening to cloud the land in eternal night.

"Seize her!" Mayor Mare ordered the guards, "Only she knows where the Princess is!" The armor clad pegasi stallions charged at the dark alicorn spears ready. In response, Nightmare Moon's horn lit up in a dark blue aura, casting a shockwave spell around herself. This defensive spell knocked the charging guards away from her, sending them sprawling across town hall.

"You think you can overpower me?!" Nightmare Moon proclaimed in a booming voice, "You will pay for your insolence!" Her horn began emanating a sinister black fog that spread across the room. Standing near the mist created an uneasiness for the ponies. Sora felt a pit in his stomach, the fog was creating within him a feeling he was familiar with, "Now, rise my minions of darkness! Rise and strike fear into the hearts of these fools!"

From the ground emerged numerous creatures that were pitch black in color. Their hunched, bipedal forms gave them a slightly animalistic appearance. Completing the ensemble were sharp claws, twitching antennae, and glowing yellow eyes. The sudden appearance of these monsters frightened the ponies, all of them backing away as far as they could. Sora's pupils shrunk, catching a lump in his throat as the gravity of the situation substantially increased, _"No... not them. How are they here?"_

One creature appeared right in front of Twilight, petrifying her in fear. As the shadow reared it's claws to attack, the monster evaporated before her very eyes. The purple unicorn saw something slash the creature before it disappeared. Looking forward, what Twilight found was profoundly astounding—a pony wielding a giant key.

It's guard was gold with a black hilt. A blue piece connected the guard with the shaft, which was silver with teeth that outlined a crown shape. Hanging off guard was a chain ending with an emblem of three circles forming what seemed to be head with two large ears. Holding this key in his maw was none other than Sora, who stood ready for battle.

The malevolent creatures grew cautious of the pegasus, fearful of the weapon in his jaw. The caramel pegasus galloped into the fray, twisting his form to smack one of the monsters with a wide slash. He then jumped up and crushed the same monster with an overhead strike. The shadow creature dissipated into black mist from the impact, leaving no trace of it's existence. Sora continued hacking and slashing his way through the numerous enemies. For every monster he slew, another took it's place.

Sora held his keyblade with both his hooves and shouted, "Wind!" A miniature tornado formed around Sora, blasting the creatures high in the air with gusts of strong winds. Some were destroyed while others fell on the ground in a daze. The strong gusts launched Sora into the air. Glowing with a blue aura, the caramel pegasus slammed his weapon on a group of monsters, terminating them.

Everyone in the town hall was awestruck witnessing Sora's battle prowess, none more so than Nightmare Moon, who eyed the weapon in Sora's possession.

"He bears the mark," The dark alicorn muttered. Her shock evolved into a dastardly grin, "How very interesting."

Sora continued to slash away at the monsters with incredible speed and grace, and he showed no signs of slowing down. When a creature swiped at him, Sora blocked it not a second too soon. Most monsters didn't have a chance to attack. More monsters were appearing at a steady pace, but Sora wasn't fazed in the slightest. Holding his key with his hooves, Sora pointed the weapon at an adversary and yelled, "Fire!" A ball of flame shot from the key's tip and impacted into a monster with a fiery explosion.

Twilight was beside herself witnessing Sora's battle. He was casting magic spells. A pegasus who could use magic! Everything she understood about magic contradicted what she was witnessing. Paying close attention to Sora's movements, there was a purpose to every action he made, each step, each strike, each block. There was only one explanation as to how Sora was handling this threat with such ease: he's done this before.

Remaining was only one monster, which Sora destroyed with an overhead strike. Nightmare Moon cackled in delight after watching such a battle, "Well, that was an amusing distraction," She said, catching Sora's attention, "Resist all you want, but it will change nothing," Nightmare cackled even louder as she disappeared into tendrils of smoke, flowing outside.

"Wait!" Sora chased the tendrils to the outside of town hall. Unfortunately, the smoke was traveling too fast for him to catch up. Watching Nightmare Moon disappear into the night sky brought forth a wave of worry to Sora, "Nighttime? Forever?" He repeated Nightmare's words, understanding that he had a long mission ahead of him. He wasn't sure where to start, but there was somepony who might know what to do, and she was currently galloping to the library.

—

Spike lied drowsy on a small, pet sized, bed. His exhaustion was likely due to the party earlier. He sat up and sleepily proclaimed, "We've gotta stop Nightmare," Then he lied back down and fell asleep. Twilight used her magic to pull a blanket over the sleeping drake.

"You need your rest, Spike," she said sweetly, "You are a baby dragon after all," After making sure her assistant was well situated, Twilight began frantically searching through the books in the library, specifically something that could tell her how to defeat Nightmare Moon. Sora then burst through the front door, startling Twilight out of her search.

"There you are, Twilight!" Sora said, "Listen, we need to—wooaaaaah!" He was cut off when Twilight used her unicorn magic to grab hold of him and slam him against a bookcase. Many books fell down from the shelf, one of which landed directly on Sora's head, resulting in a long winded "Owwwwww!"

"Okay, Sora, spill it! Who are you? Better yet, what are you?" Twilight's interrogation only furthered Sora's current worry, "What was that giant key you were fighting with? What were you fighting? How did you use magic? Are you some sort of spy?" With a growl, Twilight leaned closer to Sora's snout. Thankfully, her interrogation was cut short when she was inexplicably pulled away; Twilight's magical lock on Sora dissipated soon after.

"Simmer down, Sally," Spoke Applejack. She and the other mares entered the library soon after Sora had. The farm pony used her teeth pull Twilight's tail when she saw the unicorn seemingly threatening Sora, "He ain't no spy. But he does seem to know about them monsters," Sora looked over the mares giving him expecting glances. He sighed in defeat, seeing no other way out of this situation.

"Okay, I guess I owe you all an explanation," Sora conceded, lifting his right fore-hoof, the giant key appearing in the hoof's—grasp? "This is called a Keyblade, a mystical weapon that grants it's wielder amazing powers," Everypony took note of the keyblade's sleek appearance.

"Is that how you were able to cast magic," Twilight inquired, "Because of this 'Keyblade?'"

"Yeah," Sora answered, dismissing his blade, "The Keyblade is an ancient weapon that chooses it's wielders and gives them the power to open any lock," The mares in the room took a step back from this newfound knowledge, the fact that Sora could gain access to anything triggered many red flags. Sora noticed their reactions and immediately waved his hooves in defense, "But don't get the wrong idea! I only use that power when I absolutely have too."

"Alright," Rarity spoke, "But what were those ghastly creatures you fought?"

"Those were the Heartless, monsters of darkness without hearts. They go around looking to steal hearts from other peo—I mean ponies. If they manage to steal your heart, you'll turn into one of them," Sora's explanation brought forward a cloud of worry among his audience.

"T-they'll steal our hearts?" Fluttershy fell down on the floor and covered her head with her hooves, "I don't want to lose my heart!" She began shaking uncontrollably, teeth audibly chattering.

"But they didn't seem that tough," Rainbow said in her cocky attitude, "I bet I could take 'em."

"Those were just grunts," Sora tried to dissuade Rainbow, "The Heartless I fought were called Shadows. There are other kinds of Heartless, each one deadlier than the last. You can't just go around picking fights with them. I'm able to fight them off because the Keyblade is their greatest weakness."

"But how was Nightmare Moon able to control them?" Twilight asked.

"The Heartless usually take commands from those with alot of darkness in their hearts. But they'll turn their backs on their masters the first chance they get," Sora then looked to the floor in deep thought, "But I have no idea how Nightmare knew about the Heartless."

"Speakin' of Nightmare Moon," Applejack changed the subject, "What are we suppose' to do about her?" All eyes were now on Twilight, who felt uncomfortable being the center of attention, but she felt it important to explain what she knew.

"I studied all about the legend of the Mare in the Moon," Twilight responded, "Apparently some mystical artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony defeated her over a millennia ago, but I don't even know where to start looking!"

Sora glanced down towards the book that smacked his head earlier. The title of the book was incredibly interesting, "Hey, is this what you're looking for?" Sora picked up the book and presented it to Twilight. The unicorn in question took the tome with her magic and read the title.

"'Elements of Harmony: a Reference Guide.' Where did you find this?" She asked in bewilderment.

"Uh... I think it was under 'E,'" Sora answered, glancing at the shelves.

"Oh," Twilight, suddenly feeling silly for missing something so obvious, opened the book and skimmed through the pages to find what she was looking for, "Here it is. 'There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now—'"

"The Everfree Forest!" The mares announced with dread, now standing near the edge of a thick forest entangled with vines and other sorts of foliage. The atmosphere of the area was very oppressive, filling the ponies with a sense of dread

Pinkie on the other hoof was excited, "Whee! Let's go!"

"Not so fast," Twilight trotted forward, "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather do this on my own."

"It's not safe, the heartless are probably in there," Sora trotted ahead of her, "I can't let you put yourself in danger. I'll go," Twilight let her jaw drop. That wasn't the laid back pegasus she met today who said that. Maybe her previous evaluation of Sora was incorrect, that he wasn't just some dumb colt.

Now it was Applejack's turn to trot up in front, "No can do, sugar-cube," she said to Sora, "We sure ain't lettin' any friends of ours go into that creepy place alone," Twilight wilted at the mention of the word friends, "We're stickin' to you like caramel on a candy apple," the five mares entered the forest, leaving behind Sora and Twilight. The caramel pegasus followed, a look of worry planted on his face. Twilight wore a similar look. She was stuck in the exact scenario she didn't want to be in. With a woeful sigh, the purple pony entered the forest.

—

"So, none of you have been in here before?" Twilight asked the group. They had made some decent headway within the forest. Twilight wanted to get some more clarity regarding their current environment as the group trotted across the top of a tall cliff.

"Ugh, heavens no! Just look at it, it's dreadful," Rarity answered with disgust, noting all of the thick foliage and large patches of moss.

"And it ain't natural," Applejack added, "It don't work the same as the rest of Equestria."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, wondering what constituted as 'unnatural' in a place where the weather can be controlled.

"Nopony knows. You know why?" Rainbow Dashed said in an exaggerated spooky voice, menacingly trotting towards Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

"Rainbow, quit it," Said an unamused Applejack.

Rainbow ignored the orange mare and continued on with her scary act, "'Cause everypony who's ever come in has never come out!" She stretched out her fore-hooves as Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie all yelped in fright. Then from behind Rainbow emerged a truly terrifying sight.

"Heartless!" Sora summoned his keyblade and immediately battled the small but deadly monsters. As he hacked and slashed through the heartless, throwing an occasional magic spell to keep them at bay. Many more Shadows emerged, far more than what appeared at town hall.

While Sora was more than capable of batting many Shadows at once, he couldn't cover all his bases as one Heartless lunched at Sora without him realizing. The Shadow almost connected a swipe at Sora, almost being the key word. Rainbow Dash dove into the Shadow at high speeds, the impact dissipating it into mist. Sora turned his head around to see, much to his horror, that the cyan pegasus had entered the fray.

"Rainbow Dash, get away from them!" Sora warned her, swinging at another Shadow.

"Not a chance! I'm not letting you have all the fun!" Rainbow proclaimed with a smirk, uppercutting a Shadow into the air. She then grabbed hold of the monster's leg and slammed it back into the ground. The creature dissolved on impact.

Sora wasn't comfortable with it, but he allowed Rainbow Dash to join the fight. Sora jumped in the air and brought his keyblade down on a Shadow, destroying it in an instant. Sora and Rainbow continued their melee, but more Shadows kept emerging from the ground.

"Hold on, Ya'll!" Yelled Applejack, tossing a lasso and ensnaring three Shadows with it. She tugged on her rope to yank the monsters closer to her, delivering a powerful buck that sent them flying across the cliff face. Two of them dissipated while the survivor rolled on it's back in a dizzy trance. It didn't have time to recuperate as Sora slashed downwards on it.

Portals of darkness briefly appeared around the ponies, bringing forth a new kind of heartless. These were taller than the Shadows, clad in a blue body suit and silver cuffs on their fore-hooves. On it's chest was an emblem of a black heart with a three pronged tip and barbs in the middle, all outlined in red. They also wore silver knights helmets that were designed with an open "mouth" and swirly eye decals. These heartless had the same pupil-less, glowing yellow eyes. But unlike the shadows, the newcomers had jagged mouths. Everypony took notice of these heartless, Sora in particular.

_"That's weird. Soldiers don't usually look like ponies."_ Sora didn't have time to contemplate as the Soldiers clumsily charged into battle. One Soldier executed a spin kick that connected with Applejack's chest, emptying the air out of her lungs and sending her crashing into Rainbow. Another Soldier tried the same move on Sora. However, he skillfully side-stepped with a jump roll. As the Soldier landed, Sora jumped back towards his original position and cleaved the heartless with a hard slash, destroying it. When the Soldier dissipated, only one thing remained: a crystalline pink heart that floated up in the air before disappearing.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash recuperated from the Soldier's attack, rubbing their heads for support. Another Soldier appeared in front of the duo as they were recuperating. It would have spun itself at the two ponies, had a blueberry pie not impacted on it's face. The dazed creature of darkness shook the tin off to see Pinkie Pie with a comically large wooden hammer, which was bashed on the Soldier's head. The heartless now had it's head caved inside it's torso, losing all sense of direction as it stumbled in place. A well aimed fire spell from Sora put an end to it's comedy routine.

Fluttershy stood as far away from the battlefield as possible, laying down and covering her head for support. Rarity galloped to the cowering pegasi and held her up straight.

"Fluttershy!" Rarity said, "Pull yourself together!" Another portal of darkness appeared next to the two mares. Another new heartless appeared; it was similar in it's appearance to the Soldiers, but it was far larger. On it's fore-hooves were large metal cuff with broken chains attached to each, almost insinuating that this heartless broke out of imprisonment. Fluttershy shrieked in fear as the large heartless lethargically raised a hoof with the intent to strike the two ponies. Rarity managed to push herself and Fluttershy away from the gigantic hoof as it swung at nothing.

Rarity gritted her teeth and charged towards the massive heartless. She leaped into the air and performed an impressive spin kick—only for her to bounce off the heartless' stomach. The fashion pony fell on the floor in a heap just as the heartless was preparing another strike. Rarity felt her heart miss a beat as the monster began lowering its hoof, but Sora flew in and slashed it across it's back, sending it tumbling away.

Sora wasn't done with it yet. He pointed his keyblade at the Heartless, "Freeze!" An ice crystal blasted from the keyblade, creating a rail of ice that lead to the monster. The crystal impacted Heartless, freezing it in place. He jumped on top of the rail of ice, glowing in a blue aura as he slid towards his enemy. Sora jumped up and slashed the heartless with three rapid forwards slashes, breaking it out of its ice prison.

The heartless stood back up and glowed red, furiously stomping it's hooves in anger. The forceful stomping caused a fissure in the cliff face. The ground everypony stood on tilted, resulting in a large portion of the cliff face tumbling down. All but the large heartless and Sora were caught in the quake. The two pegasi mares flew up while the grounded ponies and heartless slid off towards a steep drop.

"Girls!" Sora yelled, worried for the well being of his friends. His attention was soon diverted when he noticed the big heartless sliding to him on it's belly. Sora quickly moved his keyblade in a defensive position. Miraculously, the caramel pony blocked the attack, even making the heartless stagger onto it's back. With a pounce, Sora dove towards the dark monster, keyblade ready to strike.

Back with the mares, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity and Twilight were sliding towards a drop. Rainbow, knowing what to do, looked towards Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy! Quick!" She said, racing towards Pinkie Pie. Rainbow grabbed hold of Pinkie's fore-hooves and lifted her into the air.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness," The yellow mare panicked. Flew towards a scared Rarity and bit down on her tail to slow her slide, something Rarity was not pleased about. Applejack bit down on a stray root to stop her tumble. Twilight wasn't so lucky, she continued to slid down the incline, desperately trying to latch onto something.

"Hold on! Ah'm a-comin'!" Applejack called, leaping forward and latching onto Twilight's fore-hooves just as the unicorn reached the edge of the cliff. Applejack had a stable grounding to keep her in place but she had no way to pull Twilight up without both of them falling down. The heartless that were on the cliff haplessly fell to their doom.

"Applejack!" Twilight began to slip, further increasing her current worry of plummeting to her death, "What do I do?" Applejack struggled to keep Twilight up. After looking up, Applejack's muscles eased.

"Let go," The farm mare said, looking Twilight in the eye.

Twilight could not believe her ears, "Are you crazy?" She retorted.

"No ah ain't," Applejack said sincerely, "Ah promise you'll be safe," But Twilight still didn't believe the earth pony.

"That's not true!" Twilight yelled hysterically, frantically trying to kick herself up, "You're lying!"

"Now listen here," Applejack firmly stated, "What ah'm sayin' to you is the honest truth. Let go, and you'll be safe," Twilight looked into Applejack's eyes. Those green eyes displayed such an earnest sincerity that denied any notion that she was lying. With misty eyes, Twilight decided to trust Applejack and take a leap of faith, or a drop of faith to be more accurate. The purple pony closed her eyes as she released her hold on Applejack's hooves, a blood-curtailing scream followed after. Twilight felt the air on her face reach turbulent levels, and the blood in her veins rush dramatically. Then she stopped falling, feeling somepony's hooves wrap under her's.

"Gotcha!" Rang a familiar male voice. Twilight opened her eyes to she she was floating above the ground, turning her head at her savior. It seemed that Sora had reached Twilight just at the nick of time, "That was close."

Twilight gave Sora a grateful smile before she caught sight of Applejack leaping onto and stone after stone on the cliff side to ground level. Applejack really wasn't lying. It seemed insane to trust somepony who was telling you to plummet off a cliff, but the orange wouldn't have said it was safe unless it was the honest to Celestia truth.

Sora placed Twilight on the ground with Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow and Rarity; Applejack joined them soon after. As they recuperated, the seven ponies were unaware of a thick black smoke heading deeper into the forest.

"Good thing Sora was there to grab you," Rainbow Dash said to Twilight, "I was busy helping Fluttershy bring Rarity down."

"Sorry," The yellow mare spoke up, "I'm not used to carrying anything more than two bunnies."

"That was way too close!" Sora interjected, surprising the six mares. His tone of voice was a far cry from his usual mood. He was acting with concern and worry.

"Hey, we're alright, aren't we?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Just barely," Sora retorted, "The heartless could have taken away your hearts!" His voice grew far more despondent, "It isn't safe for any of you to be here. The heartless are way too dangerous. You were barely holding your own against them," He wasn't wrong. Rainbow and Applejack were tossed around and Rarity's attack didn't do anything against the giant heartless.

"Then tell us how to fight them," Rainbow Dash said, throwing Sora for a loop, "You're clearly the expert here, tell us what we should do against them. And don't tell us we should 'stay away from them!'"

Sora was stuck in a position that he found unfavorable, "But..."

"But nothin'," Applejack interrupted, taking off her hat to place it over her chest, "Look, sugar-cube, this ain't just yer rodeo. This whole 'eternal night' stuff involves all of us. Maybe yer better at fighting these heartless varmints than we are, but that don't mean ya should fight 'em by yerself."

"I agree," Rarity added, "You shouldn't try to do everything on your own, darling," Sora considered what they were saying. He knew from experience that having friends fight by his side gave him a better chance at victory.

"Okay, I'll tell you how to fight off the heartless," Sora relented, pursing his lips into a smile. Twilight began to take a deep dive inside herself. The others were talking to Sora, but she couldn't help but feel as though their words were aimed towards her. She wanted to embark on this quest on her own. Sora continued to speak, "So what do you—"

"Shh," Twilight silenced the stallion, "Did anypony else hear that?" The others primed their ears to detect any unknown sounds; sure enough, there was a rustling from the thick tree line. Whatever the commotion was, it was rapidly approaching. Out of the foliage leapt out a terrifying creature. It's general build was that of a fully grown lion with some added features. On it's back were large bat wings. In place of a regular lion tail was a large and seemingly venomous scorpion tail.

"A manticore!" Twilight yelled as the beast roared. Brandishing his keyblade, Sora stood ready for a fight, as did the others, aside from Fluttershy, "We have to get past him!" Twilight declared.

"Wait," Fluttershy softly tried to dissuade. Tried being the key word. Rarity and Sora galloped forward, the former kicking both her hind hooves into the manticore's snout.

"Take that you ruffian!" Rarity insulted. The beast, in retaliation, roared in Rarity's face. The pushback Rarity experienced from the roar (along with how her mane became frizzy) was enough to convince her to gallop away. Sora swung at the creature, only for him to block the strike with his paw. The manticore pushed back Sora, who skillfully landed on his hooves unharmed.

"Wait," Fluttershy said as Applejack leapt atop the beast's back.

"Yeehaw!" The farm mare began wrangling the manticore like he was an out of control bull. Once standing atop the creature proved to hectic, Applejack jumped off the manticore's back with a backflip.

"I got this," Boasted Rainbow Dash, zooming towards the manticore.

"Wait," Fluttershy requested—again, falling on deaf ears—again. Rainbow few circles around the manticore, creating a small multicolored tornado that was making the beast become dizzy. Having had enough, the manticore smacked Rainbow away with his tail. Thankfully, the stinger made no contact with the cyan mare, but it did send her flying away.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight called out to her acquaintance. She and Sora stood down the Manticore as he growled in ferocity. Scraping the dirt with their hooves with fierceness in their eyes, Sora and Twilight charged forward.

"WAAAAAAAAAIT!" Fluttershy screamed at a surprisingly high decibel, standing in Sora and Twilight's way. The two ponies couldn't help but stop in their tacks after hearing the shy mare raise her voice so much. Fluttershy slowly approached the wild beast, who lifted up his left paw to strike her.

"Fluttershy!" Sora yelled, rushing forward in concern for Fluttershy's safety. The yellow mare nuzzled the creature's right paw. Almost immediately, the manticore's attitude shifted. No longer was he growing and being antagonistic, now he was whimpering in distress like a hurt child.

"It's okay," She affectionately comforted the beast. In response, he opened up his left paw. Lodged in his palm a pitch black thorn. Fluttershy gently stroked the manticore's paw, "Oh you poor baby."

"Oh, that's why you're so cranky," Sora dismissed his keyblade and hovered over the manticore's paw, "This is gonna hurt just a little bit," He bit down on the thorn and swiftly pulled it out.

"Oh no!" Twilight screeched—for nothing. The manticore was licking Sora and Fluttershy in gratitude. The two pegasi giggled in delight from this display of affection. Fluttershy's long wavy mane curved upwards from all the licks she was getting; Sora's remained how it was.

"You're just a big softie, aren't you?" Sora said through his ticklish laughter. The manticore put the pegasi down and went about his merry way.

"Hey, Fluttershy," Sora addressed the soft-spoken mare, "How did you know about the thorn?"

"Oh, I didn't," She replied, earning her a look of shock from Sora, "We all just need a little kindness sometimes."

Twilight listened in on Sora and Fluttershy's conversation, smiling at the yellow mare's reasoning. She was the only one who thought to quell the beast rather than fight it. Her first instinct was compassion.

—

After their encounter with the manticore, the group trekked forward deeper into the forest. Along the way, Sora told the mares the basic strategies of how to handle the heartless they'd seen so far. Shadows like to swarm their enemies and slither around the field, but they are relatively weak so the best tactic is knowing where they are at all times. Soldiers are quick but very clumsy. Once they attack, they are wide open. The Soldiers are relatively weak otherwise. The big heartless on the cliff was called a Large Body. Large Bodies are hulking brutes that are immune to frontal attacks. Once it takes enough damage, it will enter a berserk state and attack with reckless abandon. Large Bodies are to be fought with extreme caution.

Now the seven ponies reached a thick canopy, a place where their vision was becoming severely limited.

"I can't see a thing," Sora noted, accidentally bumping into Rarity, "Oops, sorry," He could still see the leer she gave him even in the darkness.

"That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn't even know it," Twilight said, hardly knowing which direction she was going. The environment grew darker as the seven continued on, so much so that the

"Ah think ah stepped in something," Said Applejack, feeling something mucky touch her hooves. Fluttershy then shrieked in fright, "Relax, it's just mud," Then the farm mare saw dozens of glowing yellow eyes, making her yelp in fright.

"Heartless!" Sora instinctively brandished his keyblade and hardened his gaze at the yellow eyes. Looking to his left, he found even more heartless hiding in the shadows. The mares and stallion looked in every which direction, finding no possible way of escape. The mares quickly grew frightened seeing this many enemies. Wherever they looked, there were heartless hidden within the darkness of the forest. He began growing nervous; he could probably take them all on, but the added responsibility of protecting the girls might prove too much, they were too petrified in fright to do anything. The overall low visibility of the area wasn't helping matters either, _"There's no way I can fight like this."_ His anxiety was put on hold when he saw Pinkie Pie making silly faces at the Heartless, that was something Sora didn't see coming.

"Pinkie Pie! What are you doing?! Run!" Twilight screamed, worried that Pinkie might lose her heart to the unseen swarm surrounding them.

"Oh Twilight, don't you see?" Then another thing happened that Sora didn't see coming. More accurately, he didn't expect to hear it.

_[Pinkie Pie]  
When I was a little filly and the sun was going down..._

"Wait, is she really..?" Sora asked, unable to comprehend what was happening.

_[Pinkie Pie]  
The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown..._

"She is," Twilight answered. Pinkie Pie was singing a random song with unseen instruments playing an upbeat tune. He turned his head every which way to find the source, but all he found were those yellow eyes.

_[Pinkie Pie]  
I'd hide under my pillow  
From what I thought I saw  
But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way  
To deal with fears at all_

"Then what is?" Rainbow asked.

_[Pinkie Pie]  
She said, "Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall  
Learn to face your fears  
You'll see that they can't hurt you  
Just laugh to make them disappear."  
Ha! Ha! Ha!_

Pinkie's method of laughing at the numerous yellow eyes work, as a good number of them disappeared. It turned out the countless heartless hiding in the shadows were just after-images. The other six ponies all gasped in surprise. The knowledge that the terrifying swarm of heartless being nothing more than illusions made the entire situation seem humorous in hindsight.

_[Pinkie Pie]  
So, giggle at the ghostly  
Guffaw at the grossly  
Crack up at the creepy  
Whoop it up with the weepy  
Chortle at the kooky  
Snortle at the spooky  
And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna... hahahaha... heh..._

_Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!_

Taking Pinkie's advice, everypony laughed at the "heartless," making them disappear and restoring some semblance of vision within the tree line. Sora felt a great deal of catharsis laughing at heartless, even if they weren't real. At the end, they were all rolling on the ground in furious laughter.

Twilight was impressed with Pinkie. She had shown that there was always room to smile, even in the darkest of circumstances. Sora still couldn't fathom how music was playing during her song. There was only one time in his life where he recalled a similar phenomenon.

—

Continuing onwards, the seven ponies exited the thick canopy to find themselves faced with a wide raging river that blocked the path forward to the castle.

"How are we gonna cross this?" Pinkie Pie said, noting how wild the water was.

"Easy, we'll just fly everypony over," Rainbow Dash answered, lifting herself into the air. Sora did think it was a good idea. He was ready to pick somepony up, but the sound of a distraught wail kept him in place.

"Hang on," Sora held a hoof up to his ear, "Did you hear that?" There was definitely someone crying in the distance. It was coming from the other side of a wall of bushes. The seven ponies climbed the bushes, only for their jaws to drop. The source of the crying was a large serpent with purple scales, lanky arms, an orange mullet with a matching long mustache; however, the right side of the mustache was cut off.

"What a world, what a world," He cried out in despair. It seemed as though he was inadvertently causing the river to flow wildly out of control.

"Excuse me, sir," Twilight addressed the sea serpent, "What's wrong?"

"Well, I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when these horrid bats with yellow eyes appear and attack me," Sora furrowed his brow. Those were heartless, "I swatted the foul beasts away, but... look at what they did to my beloved mustache," He began sobbing again, "I look absolutely horrid!" He wailed, slamming his head on the river bank, causing a large splash of water that drenched the ponies, much to their displeasure.

"Hey, watch it!" Sora scolded, shaking off droplets of water.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Retorted an irritated Rainbow Dash.

"That's what all the fuss is about?" Applejack seemed more bewildered than irritated, the only pony who seemed to really care about this serpent's woes was Rarity.

"Why, of course it is," The marshmallow pony addressed both Rainbow and Applejack, "How can you two be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales," She complimented.

"I know," The serpent responded gratefully.

"And your expertly coiffed mane."

"Oh, I know, I know."

"Your fabulous manicure."

"It's so true!"

"All ruined without your beautiful mustache," Rarity finished.

"It's true, I'm hideous!" The serpent resumed sobbing.

"It doesn't look that bad," Sora tried to calm him down, but the caramel pony wasn't even convincing himself with that.

"It most certainly does!" Rarity disregarded Sora's statement, hardening her stare in determination, "I will simply not let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected," Without warning, Rarity bit onto one of the serpent's scales and pulled it off.

"What did you do that for?" He asked. With a rapid head turn, the fashion pony sliced off her well groomed tail, leaving only a purple stump of hair. Everypony (and serpent) yelped in surprise after such an action.

"Rarity, what are you—" Twilight began, then she stopped herself once she understood what was happening. Rarity was meticulously tying her severed tail in place of the serpent's missing mustache.

"Oh-hohohoho! My mustache," He excitedly exclaimed, twirling his new mustache to get a feel for it, "How wonderful!" Rarity's tail didn't mesh well with rest of his appearance, though he didn't seem to mind.

"You look absolutely smashing," Rarity complimented.

"That was really nice, Rarity," Sora commended, then he said in a more somber tone, "It's a real shame about your tail though."

"Oh, it's fine, my dear," Rarity shrugged off, "Short tails are in this season. Besides, it'll grow back."

"So would the mustache," Rainbow Dash whispered to Sora, to which he punched her shoulder, "Hey, what was that for?"

"It's not about the gift. It's about what the gift means," Sora responded in hushed whispers. Twilight overheard that brief conversation, absorbing Sora's words. Rarity had nothing to gain giving up her tail to fix the serpent's mustache, but the act of giving was enough to lift his spirits.

"Hey look, the river's calmed down," Twilight was right. Now that the serpent had calmed down, the rapids were practically nonexistent, "We should be able to cross it now," She trotted through the river when she was lifted up by a scaly purple tail.

"Allow me," The serpent offered, using his form to create a pathway for the ponies, which they happily accepted. Sora was last to cross the river, taking time to address the serpent.

"Thanks for the lift," The caramel pegasus politely showed his gratitude.

"You're very much welcome. Bye bye," The serpent rode downstream, all the while appreciating his new mustache.

"Bye," Sora waved him farewell. As he joined the others, a thought occurred to him, "Aw man, we didn't get his name."

—

It was nothing but smooth sailing once the group crossed the river. They came up upon a clearing in the forest, finding dead ahead a ruin of a stone castle.

"There it is, the ruin of the Castle of the Royal Sisters," Twilight announced in excitement, "We made it!" She galloped forward to the ruins without much thought, leaving behind the others.

"Twilight, wait up!" Sora called out, chasing after her.

"We're almost there!" Twilight's peripheral vision failed to notice the gorge between her and the ruins. Her hinds hooves slipped over the edge, leaving her dangling over the edge, "Woah!" Twilight's breathing grew rapidly as she desperately tried to pull herself back up. She might have fallen off had Sora not grabbed hold of Twilight's hind-legs and pulled her back up, leaving her sprawled on her stomach.

"What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" Sora asked in amusement. Twilight lowered her face to a deadpan expression, there was that silly pegasus she met today. That silly pegasus took note of two wooden pikes on each side of the gorge. There was rope tied to the two pikes on the group's side

"Hang tight, I'll get the bridge back up," Rainbow Dash offered, flying down to where the rope bridge originally disconnected. She bit down on the rope and flew the bridge to the other side of the gorge. The fog grew as Rainbow tied the bridge to one pike.

"Rainbow..." came a mysterious voice, throwing the cyan mare off edge.

"Who's there?" She twirled her frame in the direction the voice was originating, standing ready for a fight.

"Rainbow..." There it was again.

"I ain't scared of you! Show yourself!" Rainbow demanded. From the fog emerged three ponies, a mare and two stallions flanking her sides. They all wore black and dark blue jumpsuits with yellow googles, white coats and windswept blue manes. The ponies approached approached Rainbow with an air of respect.

"Rainbow Dash," The mare announced, "We've been expecting you," Rainbow let her guard ease up.

"Me? Why me?" She inquired.

"We've been waiting for the best flier in all of Equestria to arrive," The mare feed to the cyan pony.

"The best flier in Equestria? Me?!" Rainbow had great trouble containing her excitement, but she held it back with her usual cocky demeanor, "I mean... Oh yeah, me. Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind telling the Wonderbolts that, would ya? I've been trying to get into that group for like, ever."

"No, Rainbow Dash. We want you to join us, The Shadowbolts. We're the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria. But first, we need a captain," The Shadowbolts circled Rainbow Dash as the mare continued, "The most magnificent—Swiftest—Bravest flyer in all the land."

Rainbow Dash could feel her ego swell listening to the Shadowbolt leader, and the former was loving it, "Yep, it's all true."

"We need... You," The Shadowbolt leader whispered into Rainbow's ear.

Being the captain of an arial flight team with a cool name sounded like a dream come true for Rainbow Dash. So much so that she flew in the air with a cheer of joy, "Alright, sign me up. Just let me tie this bridge real quick and then we have a deal," She went to tie the bridge to the other pike, but the Shadowbolt leader pushed herself into the cyan pony's face.

"No! It's them or us," She venomously stated, eyes beginning to glow.

"Rainbow,! Twilight called out from the other side of the gorge. She and the others were still waiting for Rainbow Dash to fix the bridge, "What's taking so long?" A break in the fog revealed Rainbow conversing with the Shadowbolts, "Wait, what's going on?"

"Nothing good," Sora stated, flew into the air with the intention of helping Rainbow. However, the fog grew even thicker than before, completely obscuring the caramel pony's vision, "Rainbow Dash, don't trust them!"

Rainbow heard Sora's voice, pivoting her head in an attempt to find him through the thick fog.

"Well?" The Shadowbolt leader asked with a devilish smile. Rainbow contemplated for a brief moment. There was only one clear answer in her head.

"Sorry, no deal," the cyan mare cockily responded, tying the bridge to the second pike. The Shadowbolts dropped their jaws in shock. The fog was starting to dissipate, giving Sora a clear view as to where Rainbow was. The Shadowbolts, trembling in anger, dissipated into orbs of darkness, re-emerging as Soldier heartless.

Without a hitch, Sora summoned his keyblade and dive bombed the middle Soldier, releasing the pink heart within. The remaining two Soldiers spun towards Rainbow Dash, but she swiftly dodged to the left, leaving the heartless dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. Seeing an opportunity, Rainbow spin kicked the two soldiers into the gorge, where they disappeared under the floor of fog.

"Nice work, Rainbow!" Sora complimented, pumping his hoof.

"Didn't even break a sweat," Rainbow cockily remarked. She had done far better against the Soldiers now that she knew how to take care of them, "The bridge is up!" She yelled over to the others, who carefully crossed the aged planks.

"You had me worried for a moment," Sora admitted as the other mares made it to the other side of the gorge.

"Those losers asked me to leave you guys to join their group, but I wasn't having it. I'd never leave my friends behind," Twilight didn't wilt at the mention of the word friend this time. She was touched by Rainbow Dash's dedication to those she values. Now wasn't the time to be sentimental, their goal was now within their grasp.

"Come on," The purple unicorn said, "The Elements of Harmony are just ahead," She led the way with the others following close behind. Unbeknownst to the seven friends, a black tendril of smoke followed behind.


	6. Friendship is Magic Part 3

The seven ponies entered the ruins of the castle through the rotted wooden doors, finding themselves in room that had it's ceiling missing. In the center of the room was a moss covered pedestal carrying five stone orbs each with a carving of a diamond on it's surface. Twilight had to hold back a gasp.

"We've found them," She breathlessly stated, "The Elements of Harmony," the ponies took the Elements off the pedestal, all the while Twilight insisted they be careful with them.

"There's only five of them," Sora pointed out, "Where's the sixth?"

"I don't know," Twilight responded, "But I might have a hunch."

The experiences she had with those five ponies taught her something about each of them: Applejack's sincere honesty, Fluttershy's kindness to those in need, Pinkie Pie's use of laughter to make everypony feel better, Rarity's generosity to complete strangers, and Rainbow Dash's loyalty to her comrades. Each one of these ponies represented one piece of the five known Elements of Harmony. Was it a coincidence? Twilight thought that she should share this idea with Sora and see what he thinks.

"Hey Sora," Twilight caught his attention, "Can I talk with you in private?"

"Okay, sure," He agreed with no hesitation.

"In that case, we'll just see ourselves out, then," Applejack lead the other mares outside, "C'mon, ya'll, let's let 'em have their chat," Once they were out of hearing range, Sora turned his attention to the purple unicorn.

"So what do you want to talk about?" He asked.

"Well... I've been thinking, about our colleagues..." She wanted to say 'friends,' but there was still that rational part of her that kept her from saying that word.

"Colleagues?" Sora interrupted, "Don't you mean our friends?" There was no sarcasm, wit, or amusement in his voice. He spoke with complete and utter sincerity and conviction.

"Friends? I've only met all of you today," Twilight looked unsure about calling Sora and the others her friends.

"Yeah, but think about the adventure we've all had," Sora said with complete and utter sincerity, "Those are the kinds of friends that last a lifetime," Twilight thought about the adventure that brought the seven of them here. It was more than clear to her that she wouldn't have made it this far without their help.

"You consider me a friend?" Twilight questioned Sora.

"Sure, and I know the other do too," He answered with a smile on his face, "It's really not that complicated," Sora continued, "Just look inside your heart and it'll give you the answer."

Look inside her heart? He said that as if it was simple. Maybe it was easy for him. It was clear to Twilight that there was more to this caramel pony than what she initially believed, and she acted disrespectfully to him. Sora did nothing wrong to her, he only wanted to help her and Spike. She actively tired to avoid him and yelled at him. Despite her mistreatment, he still thought of her as his friend.

_"You couldn't possibly stop any kind of evil because you're an enormous dolt who can't take anything seriously!"_

Now Twilight could see her outburst couldn't be any farther from the truth. Sora's overall attitude shifted once he understood the threat that Nightmare Moon presented. Not only did Sora know when to be serious, he was also a capable warrior, fighting off waves of heartless with ease. There was still so much she didn't know about Sora: Where did he come from? Why did he have this keyblade? What kind of experiences has he had?

"Anyway," Sora brought Twilight out of her thoughts, "What were you saying?"

"You know what, never mind, it's nothing," Twilight wasn't sure how the other mares fit with the legend of the Elements, but she did have another theory for this 'spark,' "I think I have an idea on how to make the sixth element appear. I'd stand back if I were you, there's no telling what might happen."

"Okay, I'll give you room to concentrate," Sora replied, turning to go join the others outside. Twilight focused on casting a spell that might reveal the sixth Element. As she did that, the black smoke appeared before Twilight and enveloped the Elements. The purple unicorn gasped in shock as the smoke swirled into a portal overflowing with darkness, sucking in the stone orbs.

"The Elements!" Twilight shouted, catching Sora's attention just as he exited the doors. He looked back to see Twilight jump into the portal in a desperate play to recover the Elements.

"Twilight!" Sora shouted, rushing up to the dark portal and flew in. The other mares saw Sora rush back into the castle. Curiosity taking hold over them, they followed after him. The portal vanished just as the others re-entered, leaving behind no trace of the purple unicorn or the caramel pegasus. The mares began to frantically comb the area for any signs of their friends.

"Sora! Twilight!" Applejack called off in random directions, hoping that it would yield some results, "Where'd they go?"

"Look!" Rarity was pointing to an intact tower from a window. The tower in question was glowing bright from the inside. The other mares looked out the window and saw that bright light, "That must be where they are."

"C'mon, ya'll!" Applejack ordered. They galloped off to a nearby hallway with Rainbow Dash in front. The cyan mare collided with an invisible wall that showed hexagon patterns when she smashed into it.

"Hey, what gives?" Rainbow angrily demanded, pounded the wall with her hooves.

"We're trapped," Fluttershy worryingly stated. Just then, a number of Shadows emerged from behind the mares. Fluttershy's natural ability to sense even the slightest amount of danger had her turn around from the strange noise. She screamed. The rest turned their attention to see the dark creatures circling them like predators overlooking their prey.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity poised themselves for battle, remembering what Sora told them. Shadows were paltry opponents but were deadly in groups. Thankfully, there weren't that many heartless around them, but that could change. As for Pinkie and Fluttershy, the former glaring at the heartless in a very silly fashion while the latter backed away as far as she could.

"We're gonna hafta fight our way out!" Rainbow Dash declared. The heartless jumped forward, seeking to take the hearts of these mares.

—

Twilight's head rattled as she regained consciousness, her vision and hearing blurred. Her body was laying down on the cold stone floors of the castle, limbs feeling brittle. Diving into that dark portal wasn't the best of ideas it seemed.

"T...ight," Came a voice, too blurry to make out who it was, "Twilig..," There it was again. Twilight's senses came back to her slowly but surely. Her head jerked up when somepony grabbed her shoulders and lifted her upright, "Twilight!" Her vision and hearing returned to her, revealing that it was Sora who was calling out to her.

"Sora..?" She drowsily slurred, starting to regain her strength.

"Twilight, are you okay?" He questioned in concern, releasing his hold on her. The purple unicorn regained her footing as all her sensory functions returned to her. She rubbed her temples to ease her headache.

"I'm fine," She responded, then she went wide eyed, "Wait? The Elements? Where are the Elements?" She frantically twisted her head for any sign of the stone spheres. She spotted them on a circular platform at the end of the room surrounded by four pillars, "Over there!" She pointed. Sora followed where

"Come on!" He said, galloping towards the stone spheres with Twilight not far behind. They were unable to reach their goal as a barrier appeared before them. They both crashed into the force field.

"What's this?" Twilight cried out. Numerous Shadows, Soldiers and Large Bodies appeared in the room. Sora immediately summoned his keyblade in preparation for the fight ahead. Twilight seemed a bit unsure, taking a slight step back.

"Twilight," Sora said, bringing her out of her momentary fear, "I hope you're ready for this."

Sora began by lifting his keyblade in the air, "Thunder!" A bolt of lightning rained down on the heartless, creating a massive burst of electricity that stunned the dark creatures. He lunched forward, hacking and slashing his way through the heartless ranks. Sora swung his keyblade in an upwards slash, launching a Soldier up in the air. The caramel pegasus jumped and brought his blade down on the Soldier, sending it crashing on the floor and destroying it. While flying, Sora fired a blizzard spell at a Large Body, freezing it in place.

One Soldier set it's sights on Twilight. She grew worried as the monster clumsily approached her. Then something within the unicorn switched gears. Up until now, she had avoided the Heartless in fear of having her heart taken away; however, the fate of Equestria was hanging in the balance. With her expression tightening in determination, she used her magic to lift the Soldier heartless in the air.

"Sora!" Twilight called out. The pegasus looked to Twilight, who launched the Soldier to him. Sora took advantage of the situation and cut down the heartless, releasing the heart inside. Both ponies shared a nod of mutual understanding, now fully willing to work together. The battle continued with Sora slashing the heartless while Twilight fired bolts of magical energy and flung the monsters around with her unicorn magic. They had cut down a sizable amount of the heartless force, but more kept showing up.

Sora took a deep breath and heightened all his senses, carefully taking note of all the heartless still on the battlefield. Sora leapt into the air and held his keyblade in his hoof. The tip of the blade glowed in a radiant light. In one swift flick, Sora fired a salvo of magical projectiles the homed in on the heartless. His attack decimated the remaining heartless, all except for one Shadow. It didn't have much time to plan an attack as a blast from Twilight's horn destroyed it.

Both ponies sighed in relief when the fighting was done. The barrier was dispelled, but the black smoke revealed an even greater obstacle between them and the Elements, Nightmare Moon. Sora and Twilight shared a look with each other. They exchanged nods once again and lowered themselves into a running stance, staring down Nightmare.

"You're kidding," The dark mare asked, "You're kidding, right?"

Twilight and Sora rushed forward, while Nightmare Moon did the same. Before they could clash, Twilight disappeared from view. Both Sora and Nightmare stopped in their tracks, curious to what happened to the purple unicorn. She had casted a teleportation spell to pull herself closer to the Elements of Harmony. Twilight rubbed her temples, she never attempted teleportation until that point, doing so put a strain on her horn. With her last piece of remaining magic, she lit up her horn and casted a spell on the Elements. Nightmare Moon, realizing Twilight tricked her, dissipated into black smoke and reappeared before the purple unicorn. Nightmare casted a shockwave spell, forcefully blasting Twilight away from the Elements. Sora caught Twilight before she made a painful impact.

"You okay?" Sora asked in concern. Twilight brushed off the pain as he put her down.

"I'm fine," Twilight replied with a smug look on her face. She was able to cast her spell, now the sixth Element would appear. Nightmare Moon looked down with a hint of nervousness to the stone spheres glowing in a faint light. Just then, the glow dimmed away. Twilight and Sora were perplexed at this turn of events, Nightmare Moon cackled in pleasure. Rearing up her hind hooves, the dark mare slammed the ground with enough force to cause the floor to shake. In an instant, the Elements of Harmony shattered into pieces.

Twilight's heart sank watching the stone shards splatter all over the floor. With her eyes in a perpetual state of shock, she fell to the floor as despair washed over her.

"You stood no chance, little foal!" Nightmare Moon belittled, "You will never see your Princess or your precious sun again! The night will last FOREVER!" Her mad cackling echoed throughout the halls of the castle.

"This can't be real..." Twilight wallowed. The only hope of defeating Nightmare Moon was gone. Now Equestria would be stuck in eternal darkness, "We've lost... It's over..." Nightmare Moon glared over Twilight with an evil grin. Sora wasn't as deterred, quite the opposite. Fearing for the unicorn's safety, he stood in front of Twilight like a valorous knight sworn to protect the innocent.

"I wont let you hurt her!" He declared with a look of fierce determination on his features, "I'm not going to let you hurt anyone! Not you or the Heartless!" He brandished his keyblade and poised himself in a battle ready stance. Twilight was brought out of her slump, if only slightly, when Sora spoke.

"I will deal with her in time," Nightmare Moon threatened, stepping forward, "You're the one I'm really interested in."

"Why's that?" Sora angrily responded.

"First, answer me this you whelp," Nightmare Moon sneered, "How did a mere colt such as yourself acquire the Keyblade?"

"What?" That was a question Sora never expected to hear from her. Nightmare Moon knew about the Keyblade? Now there was another question to add to the list. How does she know about the Heartless and the Keyblade? Even Twilight, in her despair, was curious.

"Oh yes, I know all about the mystic powers of the Keyblade. Although, why would it choose a scrawny weakling such as yourself?" Sora steeled himself; although he was mentally freaking out, he did not want to show it to Nightmare Moon, "Go on, foal, deliver your blow. Show me your power!" Sora was more than willing to oblige as he galloped up to Nightmare Moon and swung his keyblade in a downward arc. A black mist appeared in front of the dark alicorn, forming an object that blocked Sora's attack. The caramel stallion's pupils shrunk when he saw what his opponent summoned.

"YOU HAVE A KEYBLADE?!" The hilt was held with the alicorn's dark blue aura, the guard made to look like wicked bat wings. Atop the hilt was a serpentine eye that matched Nightmare Moon's. The shaft resembled a unicorn's horn, pitch black in color. At the end was a wickedly curved crescent moon that made the teeth of the weapon. The same crescent moon served as the charm at the end of the black keychain as well.

Nightmare Moon, laughing maniacally, relished in Sora's shock, "Surprised to see another keybearer, are you?" The dark alicorn sneered. Her blade pushed back Sora's, sending it flying across the room. Sora snapped out of his shock in time to avoid impalement from Nightmare Moon's dark keyblade, "This keyblade was left here after my defeat a thousand years ago. Now that I have reclaimed it, nothing will stand in my way. Don't you understand? Your defeat is imminent!"

Twilight couldn't believe her eyes. This strange weapon she learned of only a few hours ago was also held in the possession of Nightmare Moon? Twilight's heart sank into even further despair. She'd seen how powerful Sora was with his keyblade, but that same weapon in the hooves of an alicorn, there was no stopping Nightmare Moon.

Sora inhaled and released a long breath from his nostrils. He met his gaze with Nightmare Moon's, showing no signs of fear, "You won't win. I won't let you," he declared, keyblade appearing in his maw.

"I see now," Nightmare Moon muttered, "Such strong resolve for one so young," She raised her dark keyblade to prepare for battle, "Your heart will make for an excellent trophy," She raised her keyblade and fired a salvo of dark fireballs towards Sora, who dodged them swiftly and skillfully. He then went on the offensive, rapidly slashing at Nightmare Moon. The dark alicorn had trouble blocking all of his strikes.

She unleashed a shockwave of dark energy to push him back. Sora gracefully landed on all fours as Nightmare Moon pointed her keyblade at him again. This time, a bolt of black lightning blasted out, impacting on Sora and sending him soaring into a wall. The caramel pegasus groaned in pain as his muscles jolted in shock. That single attack left Sora in a near critical state. It was clear that Nightmare Moon held much power.

Getting up, he held his keyblade up and shouted, "Heal!" Pink bellflowers appeared above Sora, showering him with green dust. Almost immediately, Sora felt his body recover from Nightmare's attack, _"That took up all of my mana. I can't let her hit me again."_

The dark alicorn launched her keyblade like a javelin at Sora. He held up his blade just in time to deflect her blade. In retaliation, Sora spun his keyblade towards Nightmare Moon, successfully impacting against her chest. She reeled back from the counter attack, vengefully glaring at the stallion as he re-summoned his keyblade.

"You insist on making this difficult, don't you?" She spat, keyblade reappearing in her dark aura.

"You can still stop this," Sora said, "Don't you remember? You used to rule alongside your sister years ago—Princess Luna," Nightmare growled in irritation at the mention of that name.

"That has no meaning to me anymore," She seethed, "That fool was weak, I'm the one who made us strong. Any semblance of what used to be Luna is gone."

"That's not true," Sora responded, shaking his head, "The darkness may have a hold over your heart, but I know that there is still light inside you."

"Ignorant foal. What would you possibly know about the heart?" Nightmare Mare insulted.

"I know that the heart's true nature is to never let go of the bonds we share with others," Sora spoke with absolute certainty, "The heart is always looking to connect, no matter how vast the darkness," Twilight payed close attention to his words. He sounded so confident, so sure that what he was saying was fact. Was it possible that Nightmare Moon could be saved from her own hatred? "That's why I'll never give up, because I know that there's a light that never goes out! Deep down, you still care about your sister!"

The dark mare in question wasn't moved in the slightest, she merely cackled uproariously, "You're even more of a goody two shoes than I imagined," Sora hardened his expression. Nightmare launched another bolt of dark lightning at him. However, Sora was prepared this time, dodging out of the way just in time. Landing on all fours, he lunged towards Nightmare Moon, striking her with a left slash. The caramel pegasus was only getting started.

Sora was surrounded by a transparent bubble, which he burst out of (creating a sound of shattering glass). His clothes had changed in appearance. The red highlights of his outfit were now colored white, while his red hood became black. His shirt now took an a navy blue coloration rather than black. His gray saddlebags switched from gray to a vibrant red.

"What is this?!" Nightmare demanded. Sora showed her what his transformation meant, unleashing a string of powerful blows against her. He ended his combo by summoning three orbs of light that surrounded him, damaging the dark alicorn in the process. Sora's finisher sent Nightmare Moon flying into a wall. She regained her footing and seethed in anger. She held her keyblade in her magic and began wildly swinging it in Sora's direction. The caramel pegasus blocked each inelegant swipe. He knocked the blade away and lunged forward for another attack.

Twilight looked on at the battle in awe. Sora at first seemed to be at a massive disadvantage when against Nightmare Moon, but he was proving to be a more than worthy adversary; he even seemed to be winning the fight. Nightmare Moon had alot of power behind her, but Sora had finesse and skill.

"Twilight, Sora! Ya there?!"  
"Don't worry, we're coming!"  
"Hold on!"

Twilight broke her vision away from the battle and to the open door. She knew those voices, It was the others: Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. An overwhelming surge of emotion washed over Twilight: relief, joy, comfort. All of a sudden, all of her worries were brushed aside.

_"Just look inside your heart and it'll give you the answer."_

In that moment, Twilight experienced a moment of euphoric clarity. Now she understood what Sora meant. In her heart, she knew that those five had a connection to the Elements of Harmony. Moreover, she knew that they were her friends.

Meanwhile, Sora continued to apply pressure to Nightmare Moon, who could hardly keep up with his strikes. Sora lifted his keyblade and summoned a sphere of magical energy that pushed Nightmare back. She recomposed herself and intensely glared at Sora.

"You're more powerful than I expected," She admitted through ragged breaths, "But you still have no hope of reclaiming the sun. Your precious Elements are nothing but dust now!"

"You're wrong!" Twilight yelled, pulling the dark alicorn's attention, "You can't destroy the Elements that easily, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here!" The others entered the room just as Twilight finished her little speech. Sora was glad to see his friends were okay. The five mares all gasped in bewilderment when they took notice of the dark keyblade in Nightmare Moon's possession.

"What the heck?!" Questioned a wide eyed Rainbow.

"Uh, did ah miss sumthin', or does Nightmare have one of them keyblades too?" Applejack added.

"I'll fill you all in later," Twilight hastily responded, then addressed the dark mare again, "These five ponies carry with them the spirit of the Elements!"

"WHAT?!" Shouted Nightmare Moon. Twilight grinned in confidence and presented her evidence.

"Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... honesty!

"Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness!

"Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter!

"Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity!

"And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty!"

As Twilight spoke, shards of the elements floated towards the mares as they were called out. Nightmare Moon grew nervous. Twilight's face was one of fierce determination, no longer fear, "The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us."

Nightmare Moon began growing fearful, backing away from the mares, "You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!"

"But it did!" Twilight proclaimed, turning her head towards the five element bearers, "A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you. I learned how much I truly cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all... are my friends!"

The pieces took on a new shape. The five were now wearing gold necklaces with different shaped gems. Applejack had an orange apple, Fluttershy a pink butterfly, Pinkie Pie a blue balloon, Rarity a purple diamond, and Rainbow Dash a red lightning bolt. Twilight briefly locked gazes with Sora, who nodded to her with confidence.

With newfound determination, Twilight looked Nightmare Moon in the eye, "You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the spark of friendship that resides in all of our hearts, it creates the sixth Element: The Element of Magic!"

An orb of pure light appeared above Twilight. She closed her eyes as the orb descended upon her, emanating magical energy into her very beign. In a flash of light, a golden tiara embedded with a gem resembling Twilight's cutie mark appeared atop the unicorn's head. Twilight opened her eyes, now fully glowing with light.

"No," Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth in furious rage, "I will not be defeated!" She held her keyblade and channelled a dangerous amount of dark magic into it, intending to destroy the mares and the Elements in one devastating spell. Unfortunately, the dark alicorn forgot about the caramel pony who was giving her trouble. Said pony flew in front of her and swiped away her keyblade with his own.

"I don't think so," Sora said. With his keyblade glowing at the tip, Sora went on the offensive, rapidly slashing Nightmare Moon with a flurry of furious blows, eight in total. The dark one could feel her stamina drain as Sora pelted her. He wasn't done just yet; rising into the air, the pegasus bashed down on Nightmare Moon's helmet, cracking the headpiece and bringing the alicorn down on her stomach. Sora's clothes returned to their normal state when he was done.

As that was happening, the six mares glowed in a blindingly bright light as they hovered above ground. The six of them felt a comforting sensation as they focused their energy. Twilight in particular experienced a euphoric sensation she hadn't felt before: the light of Friendship. A multicolored beam of purple, orange, yellow, pink, white and cyan swirled around them. The beam shot up and coursed it's direction to Nightmare Moon. The dark mare, fatigued from Sora's finishing blow, could only watch in horror as the rainbow beam surrounded her.

"No! NOOOOOOOO!" The entity known as Nightmare Moon could feel her power being striped away from her. Her reign had come to an end. The entire room was washed in a blast of light so bright that Sora had to cover his eyes.

When the light dissipated, Twilight and the others were sprawled across the floor. Sora was the only one left standing up after that whole ordeal.

Sora found curled up in the middle of the room a different kind of alicorn than who he fought earlier. She was significantly shorter than Nightmare Moon, but still taller than the average pony. Her coat was a grayish blue with a splotch of black on her flanks, along with a crescent moon cutie mark. Her azure mane fell down one side of her face in a wavy manner, her tail was just as wavy. She wore silver shoes, a black chest piece with a crescent moon on it's front, and a black crown.

Her keyblade, tucked underneath her hooves, had changed in appearance as well. The blade was a dark blue rather than pitch black. The guard now resembled majestic pegasus wings. The serpent eye above said guard now held a round blue crystal that seemed to hold numerous stars within. The crescent moon that made up the teeth and keychain was now more elegant and not as wicked.

Sora approached the mare and knelt down to her level, "Hey, are you alright?" She opened teal eyes to find Sora's concerned expression. She could only mumble in response, "Hey, it's okay," Sora comforted.

"I-is the darkness gone?" She stuttered. Sora lifted his hoof and stroked the mare's head in reassurance.

"Yeah, it's over now."

As the mares recovered from their overwhelming power surge, they started admiring their new accessories. Rarity was the exception as she was ecstatic over her newly restored tail.

"Sorry we were late," Rainbow Dash apologized, "We had to fight off some heartless to get here."

"That's okay," Twilight replied admiring her tiara.

"Gee, Twilight!" The farm mare addressed the unicorn, "I couldn't follow what you was sayin', but I reckon we really do represent the Elements of Harmony."

"Indeed you do," Spoke a soft and calming voice. The ponies could see the sun at last rising over the horizon. Sora stood back up to see this event happen. Appearing before them was a new mare, twice the size of a regular pony. Her coat was a pristine shade of white that seemed to glow brightly in the light of the sunrise. Her purple eyes displayed kindness and many years of wisdom. Atop her head was a long and elegant horn, and on her sides were long and illustrious wings. The crown atop her head, the piece around her neck, and her elegant hoof guards were all a pristine gold. Upon her flanks was an illustration of a burning sun. The most striking aspects of this creature were her mane and tail; colored light blue, light green, a darker shade of blue, and light pink, her hair flowing as is blown by a gentle unseen breeze.

Twilight gasped in relief, "Princess Celestia," She ran up to the tall alicorn and hugged her.

"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student," The Princess spoke, "I knew you could do it."

"But... you told me the Mare in the Moon was just an old pony tale," Twilight responded to her trusted mentor. Celestia gently brushed her student's cheek with her hoof.

"I never said that," Celestia replied, "I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew you who had the magic inside to bring her back to the light, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart," She then turned her attention to Sora, who was entranced by Celestia's majesty. Now he could see why the ponies of Equestria adore their Princess so much, "What is your name, friend?" She asked, trotting over to him.

"It's Sora, your majesty," He responded courteously.

"Well, Sora, allow me to thank you for helping guide Twilight towards the right path," The alicorn's face tensed into a more serious expression, "However, it seems somepony else must learn the path of friendship as well," glancing towards Luna. The blue alicorn shrunk behind Sora, unwillingly to meet he gaze of her older sister. The caramel pegasus stepped aside, allowing Celestia to address Luna directly, "Dear sister, It has been a thousand years since I have seen you," Celestia greeted, kneeling down to address Luna, "Please, little sister, let us put the past behind us and rule together once again, like we were meant to do," Luna looked down to the keyblade under her fore-hooves, then back to Celestia. The blue alicorn felt tears forming in her eyes as the reality of the situation dawned on her.

With her keyblade disappearing in a burst of stars, Luna stood up and placed her muzzle on Celestia's neck, "I'm so sorry for what happened! I missed you so much, big sister!"

"I've missed you, too," Celestia reciprocated, affectionately nuzzling Luna. The seven ponies in the room all felt their hearts soar seeing these two sisters reunite. Sora in particular felt a sense of of nostalgia seeing Celestia and Luna make amends even after the latter fell to darkness.

Pinkie was crying a river of tears, and then her attitude made a 180, "Hey, you know what this calls for?"

—

"A party!" Back in Ponyville, the townsponies were more than thrilled to see the return of the sun and the Princess. Once the heroes returned, the citizens of Ponyville welcomed them back with praise and admiration. Even Luna seemed to be welcomed back with open hooves. Despite the festivities, Twilight was anything but festive. In fact, she was gloomy, something Celestia picked up.

"Why so glum, my faithful student?" Celestia asked Twilight, "Are you not happy that your quest is complete and you can return to your studies in Canterlot?"

"That's just it," Twilight replied, "I only just learned how wonderful it is to have friends, and now I have to leave them," Sora looked at the purple unicorn with a sympathetic gaze. It was always sad when you had to leave your friends. Celestia brought a hoof to her chin in thought.

"Spike, take a note, please," The little drake produced a quill and scroll, paying close attention to pen down Celestia's words, "I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship and report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville."

Twilight felt her eyes grow misty. Celestia had given the studious unicorn a dream of an assignment, and she was determined to give this task her all.

"Oh thank you, Princess Celestia! I'll study harder than ever before," She vowed. The ponies cheered in joy at the announcement of Twilight staying.

"Looks like you'll be staying a little while longer," Sora commented. Twilight turned around to face him. She was viewing him with a look of pure gratitude, a stark contrast to the loathing expression she gave him the night before.

"Thank you, Sora," Twilight said with a trembling voice, "I would never have discovered how great friendship is without you," Sora sheepish rubbed the back of his head in gratitude. Twilight then rushed to Sora and hugged him. This action caught him off guard, but Sora reciprocated the action nonetheless. Both ponies felt at ease now that the ordeal was over, and Twilight was ready to begin her new life in Ponyville.


	7. A Chat with Celestia

A day passed since Twilight was given her new assignment to study the magic of friendship. Right now, she and Applejack were trotting along the path adjacent to the farm. Both mares wore harnesses with baskets of apples attached. Spike was resting comfortably on Twilight's back as he surveyed the apples for any signs of deformities.

"Thank you kindly, Twilight, for helping me out," Said Applejack, "I bet Big McIntosh I could get all these Golden Delicious in the barn by lunchtime. If I win, he's gonna walk down Stirrup Street in one of Granny's girdles," The farm mare burst out laughing at the thought of such a thing.

Twilight wasn't listening. Her mind drifted elsewhere, thinking about the things she learned of yesterday, about keyblades and the Heartless. Those mystical keys apparently dated back to the time of Nightmare Moon, but how did she get one?

"Hey, is there sumthin' botherin' ya, Twilight?" Applejack asked the distracted unicorn. Said unicorn stopped trotting and faced the orange one's gaze.

"Oh, sorry, Applejack, I can't get those keyblades out of my mind," Twilight rubbed her temples, "I've studied amount magic all my life, and I've never heard of a weapon that can grant non-unicorns magic powers and open any lock. Did Sora ever use his keyblade before Nightmare Moon's appearance?"

Applejack shook her head, "Nope, that was the first time ah ever saw him use it. Ah don't think Sora even used it when he rescued that little filly from the burning building."

"What?!" Twilight jolted from shock, so much so that she accidentally knocked Spike, and a few apples, off her back, "When did he do that?!"

"His first day in Ponyville, if ya can believe that," Applejack answered, "Ah heard he jumped right in soon as he heard a filly was trapped inside."

Twilight was astounded. She'd seen Sora's nobility first hand when he faced off against Nightmare Moon, but willingly jumping into a building that was on fire to save another life? That was something a hero would do.

"Yeah, I remember hearing about that during that first party Pinkie threw us," Spike said, getting up and glaring at the purple unicorn, "Man, I wish could've seen him fight those 'heartless' things, everypony says it was amazing!"

"Where do ya think he learned to fight like that?" Applejack asked. Sora was young, but he fought as though he was a skilled warrior with years of experience.

"No idea," Twilight stated, "I'm more flabbergasted that Luna had a keyblade of her own. She must have acquired it before her banishment. But how did she get one?" Twilight began pacing back and force as her speech slowly but surely grew frantic, "But if Luna has one of these 'keyblades,' does that mean Princess Celestia has one as well? No, that can't be, I would know otherwise, Princess Celestia wouldn't keep secrets from me. But what if she is keeping her probable keyblade a secret from me? If that's the case, is she keeping even more secrets from me?"

Twilight continued on rambling with Spike and Applejack watching, not really following what she was say, "Uh, is she okay?" The farm mare whispered to the dragon.

"Yeah, this is pretty normal for her" Spike replied, walking up to the purple unicorn to grasp her mouth shut, "Twilight, relax. I'm sure your just overthinking it."

"Maybe you're right, Spike," Twilight relented, "If the Princess does have a keyblade, then I'm sure there's a good explanation why she hasn't told me," The unicorn felt at ease. Surely there was a rational explanation to it all, right? All of a sudden, Spike felt something rumbling in his stomach. With cheeks bulging, Spike belched a spurt of green fire. From the fire materialized a scroll held with a red seal. Twilight knew exactly what this meant, "A letter from the Princess?" She said. Spike unfurled the scroll and read the contents.

"Hear ye, hear ye. Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of... yadda yadda yadda... cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest," Spike then belched out two golden tickets, which Twilight caught in her magic grasp.

Twilight and Applejack gasped in shock, "The Grand Galloping Gala?!" Then that shock turned into excitement.

—

Sora lounged in his seat in the train car with his fore-hooves behind his head, thinking about the day before. After the party, Celestia approached him and requested that he meet her at the royal castle in Canterlot for a personal chat. He agreed, hoping that he could learn how and why Luna has a keyblade of her own. Celestia paid for Sora's train tickets so that he could travel to the capital. As the trip continued, Sora looked outside the window, taking in the beautiful landscape as it zoomed past due to the train's speed. This world was such a peaceful place, yet it was so close to falling into eternal night just yesterday. Even the most serene of locales can be victims of destruction. That was something Sora knew all too well. Looking ahead, Sora saw the capital city of Canterlot getting closer.

Sora had seen the city from a distance while at Ponyville, and it was certainly a sight to behold. It was a grand city hanging off the side of the tallest mountain for miles with curvaceous architecture in shades of purple, gold and white. The train had reached the station and it was time to exit. Sora took in the scenery as he trotted outside the train. The city was even more magnificent up close. The cobblestone roads were well kept and the buildings were crafted with pristine marble.

"Excuse me," Said an unfamiliar voice. Sora pivoted his head forward his position to see a royal guard. He was different from the others as he wore purple armor instead of gold. He was a fairly bulky pearl white unicorn stallion with teal eyes and a two tone navy blue mane and tail, "You wouldn't by any chance be Sora, would you?"

"Yeah, actually," The caramel pony responded, "Who are you?"

"I'm Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard," He introduced with a bow, "The Princess has asked me to escort you to the audience chamber."

"Oh, thanks," Sora showed his gratitude.

"Right this way," Shining said, trotting onto the cobblestone streets with Sora not close behind, "Things have been really hectic around here lately. First the sun doesn't rise when it's supposed to, then the Princess arrives with her long lost sister."

Sora chuckled in response, "I can imagine it gets pretty busy in a place like this," He remarked, taking note of the many ponies, mostly well dressed unicorns, wandering about.

"You're telling me," Shining replied, turning his head to make eye contact with the caramel pegasus, "You've made quite the impression around here."

"I have?" Sora didn't notice at first, but many of the citizens were staring at him and talking amongst themselves. The caramel pegasus suddenly felt very uncomfortable being the center of attention.

"Yeah, everypony's been talking about the ponies who stopped Nightmare Moon," Shining explained, "From what I heard, you beat her in a one-on-one fight."

"Yeah, that was me," Sora confirmed modestly.

"That's really something," Shining Armor complimented, "Standing hoof to hoof with an alicorn? That's unheard of!" Sora felt a surge of pride; however, beating Nightmare Moon didn't feel like a large accomplishment to him.

_"I've faced way scarier opponents than her,"_ Still, it felt great knowing that these ponies were safe.

—

Shining Armor guided Sora through the city and into the royal castle. It was massive, utilizing the already amazing architecture of Canterlot. The interior of the castle was just as impressive, decorated with velvet curtains and pristine carpets. The two stallions continued until they reached their destination, the Throne room. It was a very spacious area, centered with a red carpet the lead to a magnificent throne flanked by two royal guards. There Celestia was, looking at Sora with that gentle gaze of her's.

"Presenting Her Royal Highness," Announced Shining Armor, "Princess Celestia!" She lifted herself off her throne and approached the caramel pegasus.

"I've been anticipating your arrival, Sora," She then turned her attention to her guards, "You may leave now," She ordered them. The armor clad ponies, including Shining Armor, saluted in response and exited the chamber, leaving only the Princess and the keyblade wielder.

"So, Your Majesty," Sora started awkwardly, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, Sora, I would like to know where you're from, first and foremost" Celestia began graciously. Sora could practically hear a certain duck yelling in his ear about the World Order right about now

"Oh, I'm from really far away from your kingdom," Sora halfheartedly explained. The tall alicorn brought a hoof over her mouth in a vain attempt to hide her laughter.

"There's no need to hide the truth from me, Sora," Celestia addressed him respectfully, "I can tell that you're from another world."

Sora did a double take, "What?! You know about that?"

"I've been around for quite some time," Celestia explained, "Your peculiar clothing and hairstyle were something of a clue; however, your keyblade was all the proof I needed."

"It was?" Sora inquired.

"Just a few days ago, I saw a shooting star from my balcony. I felt a strong light emanating from that star, a light that could only reside within one with the Keyblade's power. Tell me, was that shooting star you by any chance?" Sora nodded in response to Celestia's question, "I must ask, however did that come to pass?"

Sora's face slumped, he didn't know how he ended up in Equestria, but he did know the circumstances that led him here. He remembered those events clear as day, events he would like to forget. Thinking about it put a strain on his heart.

"I was rescuing someone important to me," Sora relayed a heavily abridged version of what happened, and he spoke with solemness in his voice, "But my heart was damaged in the process. I ended up fading away into the Final World. I don't know how long I was there, but I came into contact with some sort of light. Next thing I know, I'm on the Apple farm. Apparently I fell from the sky."

"Could you describe this light in any way?" Celestia inquired.

"I'm not sure how to describe it," Sora admitted, "But I remember sensing something similar when Twilight and the others used the Elements," Was there some sort of connection between him, the mares, and the Elements? This was all so confusing. Why was nothing ever simple?

"That certainly is strange," Celestia said, bringing a hoof to her chin. Despite this confusion, Sora felt surprisingly relieved he didn't have to hide anything from Celestia. Then something occurred to him. Perhaps she was the key to returning to his friends.

"Hey, if you know about other worlds, then I don't suppose you know how I can get back to my world?" Sora asked hopefully.

"Might you describe your world to me?" The alicorn asked.

"Well, my home is a group of islands called the Destiny Islands," Sora described his home with great enthusiasm, "It's beautiful. The sunsets there are amazing. I used to play on this small island off the coast of the mainland. There's even this one tree with this special fruit that—" Sora stopped himself. Suddenly, his enthusiasm left him, leaving him in solemn silence. Celestia pursed her lips in confusion, wondering what could cause Sora to shift his mood so quickly. Perhaps he reminded himself of an unpleasant memory. Sora shook off his uncertainty and continued, "Anyway, that's what my world is like. Is there anyway you could get me back?"

His hopes were dashed when Celestia shook her head, "I'm afraid not," she answered regrettably, "I wouldn't be capable of transporting you to your world."

"Oh..." Sora slumped his head in disappointment. Now he really was stuck here unless his friends found him.

"I'm sorry, Sora. If there is anything I can do to make your stay in Equestria more comfortable, you need only ask," Sora felt a little better

"There's something I wanted to ask you. How is Luna a keyblade wielder?"

Celestia gave a nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head, "Oh, yes—perhaps I should show you something first," Celestia's horn began glowing in it's yellow aura. In a flash of bright light appeared, to Sora's bewilderment, a Keyblade. It was similar in design to Luna's blade, only it was colored a pristine white, the crystal held an orange light that seemed like it contained the fires of the sun itself, and the teeth and keychain charm resembled the alicorn's sun cutie mark. Sora's pupils shrunk to mere dots at that point, jaw hanging wide. Celestia noticed his slack-jawed expression and chuckled nervously again, "I was worried this would happen," She dismissed her keyblade.

_"How come no one knew about this?"_ First Luna, now Celestia. Were there other keyblade wielders out there Sora didn't know about? As far as he knew, all keyblade wielders knew and kept in contact with one another. There's another question to add to the list.

"When Luna and I were young, a powerful Keyblade Master known as Starswirl the Bearded bequeathed the Keyblade's power to Luna and I. History remembers Starswirl as a powerful unicorn wizard, but the knowledge of him being a Keyblade Master has been lost to time," Celestia casted a solemn expression as she continued, "He saw the potential for us to be Keyblade wielders, so he took us in as his apprentices."

Sora absorbed the information he was told critically, "Okay, but do you know how Starswirl got his keyblade," Sora knew that there were keyblade wielders in ancient times, but he didn't know much beyond the legend of the Keyblade War.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question," Celestia responded, "One day, Starswirl vanished off the face of Equestria, leaving me and Luna, still mere apprentices, without a Master," So Celestia and Luna were still considered apprentices by technicality.

"Oh, okay. You know, it kind of makes sense now that I think about it," Sora folded his fore-hooves, "When I fought Nightmare Moon, she tried to beat me using brute force, only with magic instead of physical strength. Her sword play was practically nonexistent. I've fought against other keyblade wielders before and they had more varied skill sets than just magic power."

"Master Starswirl did have more of an affinity with magic then with physical combat," the Princess said with a hint of nostalgia, "Luna and I tried to continue our training ourselves, but our royal duties were creating a rift between us," She sighed in remorse, bringing her head down, "I'm sure you know what eventually happened between us," Celestia totted over to a balcony overlooking the castle gardens as she continued, "After Luna's banishment, training with the keyblade brought me only pain. It only served as a reminder of my sister and what I did to her. After some time, I stopped using my keyblade entirely," Celestia sighed in remorse as light tears began to shed, "There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think of Luna, thinking I could've done something else to save her from her darkness."

Sora trotted over to Celestia's side, feeling an intense amount of sympathy for the royal, "I know what it's like, being forced to fight someone you're close to. What matters know is that you two are together again."

"Thank you, Sora," The Princess said in gratitude, "It's true, I feel so much greater now that my sister has returned to me."

"Speaking of," Sora shifted the subject, "Where's Luna, I haven't seen her in the castle."

"Luna is still recovering from having the darkness in her heart," Celestia explained, "Besides, it's been over a thousand years since Luna has walked Equestria. She'll need to catch up on current events to reintegrate into pony society."

"That makes sense," Sora said. He was glad that Luna was doing well, "With you and Luna, now I know three Keyblade wielding royals," He stated with a cheeky smile.

"You know of another ruler with the Keyblade's power?" Celestia showed her interest.

"Oh, you'd really like King Mickey."

The two keyblade wielders talked more and more as the day went on. Sora told of the many worlds he had explored during his travels. When it came to lunchtime, Celestia treated Sora to a fantastic lunch, one of the best he ever had as he put it. The Princess even gave Sora a personal tour of the castle. When asked about the stain glass windows in the throne room. They were depicting events in Equestria's ancient history, including one time when Celestia and Luna defeated a chaos god known as Discord. Sora expressed some concern to Celestia concerning the Heartless. The ruler of Equestria assured him that they're arrival was due only to Nightmare Moon's influence. Equestria was a world abundant with light, so Sora could rest easy when it came to the Heartless. After a while, Sora started another conversation while trotting through the castle halls.

"It's funny," He said, "The last thing I expected to see here was two other keyblade wielders."

"Regardless of the circumstances, I'm glad you were there to guide Twilight when she needed it," Celestia placed her hoof on Sora's shoulder like a caring mother. The caramel pegasus appreciated the gesture, looking up at the Princess gratefully.

"Say, how did Twilight become your student anyway?" Sora asked, remembering how flabbergasted he was when Spike revealed that the purple unicorn was the Princess' personal protege.

"I sensed the magical potential within Twilight when she was just a filly," Celestia elaborated, "I took her in as my personal student so that she could better harness her potential. I sense great things in her future," She said, making Sora wonder what that meant, "Anything else you want to know?"

"Actually," Sora said nervously as he stopped trotting, "There is one other thing I've been meaning to ask you," Celestia chuckled in response seeing the worried smile on the pegasus' face.

"In answer to your question: Yes, it is real hair," She ran a hoof through her mane to emphasize her point.

"Oh, uh—cool..." Sora replied half-heartedly, _"On second thought, I probably shouldn't ask her how old she is,"_ He thought, _"It might come off as rude."_

All of a sudden, a burst of green fire appeared in front of Celestia, revealing a scroll. The Alicorn unfurled the piece of paper with her magic, revealing two golden tickets inside. Looking a little surprised, Celestia read the scroll before letting out a small chuckle.

"What is it?" The caramel pegasus asked in curiosity.

"It appears Twilight has already learned her first friendship lesson," Celestia responded with a warm smile. A fresh scroll and a quill appeared before her in a burst of magic, along with five additional tickets and an envelope. Writing up a quick reply, Celestia inserted the letter and the six tickets in the envelope before teleporting it away, "That reminds me," The alicorn continued, summoning another ticket and presenting it to Sora, "I want you to take this."

"The Grand Galloping Gala?" Sora read the writing on the ticket, "What's that?"

"A formal event held at the end of the summer," Celestia broke eye contact for a brief moment and gave a heavy breath. Sora tilted his head in confusion, but he didn't have time to contemplate as Celestia addressed him once again, "I'd be honored to have you attend the event. Maybe you'll make it interesting."

"Okay, thanks," Sora accepted the gift and placed it into his saddle bag. After accepting the gift, he was struck by a wave of curiosity, "Hey, how do you send letters back and forth with Twilight like that?"

"You know Spike, correct?" Sora nodded his head, "He's imbued with a special flame that can send letters to me. He acts as sort of a liaison between Twilight and I."

"That's really cool," Sora said with a smile, "Well, it's been great talking to you and all, but I should probably get back," It was close to when the sun should set and Celestia needed to perform this duty.

"Before you leave," Celestia stopped Sora, "I have one request for you. If I know my student, she'll want to know about the Keyblade. Please be sure to not reveal the existence of other worlds to Twilight. We wouldn't want to upset the World Order, would we?" Celestia pursed her lips in contemplation, "I might have to reveal my keyblade to Twilight at some point."

Sora folded his fore-legs, "Okay, but what am I supposed to tell Twilight?"

Celestia gave him a playful smile, "If she ever asks you something you probably shouldn't answer, just be cryptically vague," The Princess chuckled.

"Okay then..." Sora tilted his head, not sure what Celestia found so amusing. Nonetheless, he understood what she asked of him, "I'll be sure to keep the outside world a secret."

"Glad to hear," Celestia said, "Will you be needing help returning to the train station?"

"No, I think I'll be fine," Sora declined, "I should be able to make it back on my own."

"Alright then," Celestia lowered her head to Sora's level, "Remember, if you need any guidance, ask Spike to send a letter to me."

"Thanks," Sora relayed his gratitude with a nod, "Well, see ya round."

Sora began to make his way back to the train station. Along the way, he noticed Shining Armor standing position at the front gate. Something seemed off however, the unicorn was drifting his eyes to the side

"Hey, Shining," Sora caught the guard's attention, "Is there something wrong? You look out of it."

"Oh, hey, Sora. Guess you're done talking with the Princess, huh?" It was obvious Shining Armor was dodging the question. Sora crossing his fore-hooves and giving the guard a stern gaze convinced him to spill the beans, "Well... I've just been missing my sister is all."

"Your sister?" Sora repeated, "Did something happen?"

"Nothing serious," Shining affirmed, "She just had to move to Ponyville is all. It's weird not having her around, I guess," He was clearly saddened that his mysterious sister was somewhere else.

"Alright, want me to go find her for you?" Sora asked without hesitation, making Shining Armor backpedal in shock, "I kinda live in Ponyville, I can go talk to your sister if you want. I'll let ya know how she's doing."

Shining couldn't help but chuckle at Sora's enthusiasm, "No, it's fine. If I know my sister, she'll try to stay in contact with me."

"Oh, okay then," Sora dropped the subject, "Well, see ya."

As Sora left, Shining Armor sighed. He used his horn's magic to pull out a small black box that was tucked inside his armor, "Honestly, I wish Twily moving out was the least of my worries."

—

Sora arrived back in town as the evening rolled in. He decided that he should go back to the farm and rest for the night. He intended to tell the others what he and Celestia discussed today, not all of it though.

"There you are!" Sora heard a female voice from behind him. He turned around to find a sight that made him wide eyed.

_"What's up with her eyes?!"_ He thought. She was cross eyed, yet she didn't seem like to mind at all. Even as she was, she still looked at Sora with gratitude.

"I've been looking all over town for you!" She said. She was carrying a white box tied with a red bow on her back.

"You wanted to find me? What for?" Upon further investigation of this mare, that didn't involve looking into her eyes, Sora found that he recognized her gray coat and messy blonde mane and tail, "Oh, I remember you. You were that  
mother from the fire."

"That's right. My little filly's alive thanks to you," The mare stated.

"Hey, is she doing okay?" Sora asked in concern.

"She's doing great," The mare answered with a smile, "All she can talk about is how amazing you are. But I guess everypony in town's been saying that."

Even though he appreciated the compliment, Sora couldn't help but feel sad for Her and her daughter, "Still, it's a shame your home burned down."

"Oh, don't worry about it, it's insured," She was acting very nonchalant about the incident, "So long as I have my little Dinky Doo with me, I'll be just fine."

"Well, do you two have a place to live in the meantime?" He didn't want the two of them to be essentially homeless.

"Yes we do," She assured, bringing a wave of relief to Sora, "My friend is letting us stay at his home for the time being.

"That's good to hear," Sora reaffirmed. Something then occurred to him, "Hey, I don't think we've introduced ourselves. I'm Sora."

"Sora?" She repeated, "That's a weird name."

Sora pursed his lips in annoyance, _"My name is not weird!"_

"I'm Ditzy Doo," The mare introduced herself, "Oh, I almost forgot," Ditzy propped up the box on her back with her wings and placed it in her fore hooves. She presented it as a gift to Sora, "Here, take this as a thank you for saving my daughter."

Sora took the box in his hooves and undid the bow with his teeth. He opened the lid of the gift to view it's contents, "Wow, muffins!" There was a dozen of varied delectable looking muffins that were arranged neatly, "These are all for me?"

"Sure are," Ditzy proudly answered, "I baked them myself," Sora looked back down at the well crafted muffins he was given, "Take them, it's the least I can do to repay you,"

Sora thought back to when he rescued Dinky from the fire. He jumped into that inferno without a second thought, all for one reason, "It was just the right thing to do."

"Well, I appreciate it all the same," Ditzy responded. She waved Sora goodbye and flew off, presumably back to her temporary home with her daughter, Dinky. As Ditzy flew off, Sora picked out one of the muffins in the box and took a bite. He moaned in pleasure closed the lid and placed the box on his back, with the intention of eating the muffins latter.

Sora curiously found himself thinking about Shining Armor's sister. The two of them sounded pretty close. What could've caused her to move to Ponyville? _"It's probably not worth worrying over," _Sora shrugged, _"Like Shining said, they'll keep in touch with each other."_. Sora trotted back to the farm with muffins in tow. Maybe he could share these with the Apples.


	8. Learning About the Keyblade

**Just ****to clarify, this will not be a SoraxTwilight ship fic. I just thought I should preface that.**

—

The next morning, Sora reconvened with the six mares to discuss what he and Celestia talked about the day before. Of course, he was vague with the details and left out the part with Celestia's keyblade. When he presented his ticket for the Grand Galloping Gala, Sora was met with a bombardment of excitement, they had tickets to the Gala as well. Sora figured those golden tickets Celestia shoved in the envelope yesterday must have been for the mares. When asked about why they all received their own tickets, Twilight simply remarked, "It's a long story... You wouldn't believe the day I had yesterday," To which the others could only rub their heads in shame.

Apparently, Twilight received two tickets for the Gala the morning before, Spike declined the offer because he claimed he wasn't into "that girly frou-frou stuff." Twilight's friends caught notice and wanted to accompany the purple unicorn for their own reasons. Applejack wanted to sell food there, Rainbow Dash wanted to meet up with the Wonder Bolts (who would be attending the event), Pinkie wanted to go because the Gala was the biggest party of the year, Fluttershy wanted to meet all of the critters in the Canterlot gardens, and Rarity wanted to go to meet a prince in the hopes he would fall in love with her. The five mares spent the day hounding Twilight, doing her favors and such, so that they could get a shot at going to the Gala. Twilight snapped from the pressure, causing the others to realize the error of their ways and apologize to the purple unicorn. Twilight decided to return the two tickets back to Celestia because they caused so much trouble. Then the Princess sent seven tickets, one for each mare and Spike, who was visibly excited.

A few days passed, and in that time Applejack had been overworking herself. Applebuck Season began a few days ago. Right around that time Big McIntosh was injured, meaning he couldn't work the fields. Applejack took it upon herself to harvest the orchard herself. Curiously, she specifically told Sora to not intervene in the harvest. He agreed, wanting to honor her wishes. Unfortunately, Applejack also agreed to do favors for a few of her friends. Because of her lack of rest, every favor ended in disaster. Pegasi were flung long distances, ponies were given food poisoning, and baby bunnies were sent rampant on some poor defenseless flowers. Needless to say, Applejack had unintentionally caused some havoc on Ponyville, and Sora and Twilight were set to put a stop to it. The two entered Sweet Apple Acres with the intent of talking things out with Applejack.

"Time to snap A.J out of it," Sora stated, skimming his eyes trough the acres of trees for any sign of the orange mare.

"How did all of this even happen anyway?" Twilight asked, "I know Big McIntosh was injured, but why didn't she ask you to help? You work here, don't you?"

"I think it's a pride thing," Sora answered, "My first day on the farm, Applejack was arguing with Big Mac about not being able to do Applebuck Season by herself. I guess she wanted to prove him wrong," He sighed in disappointment, mostly at himself, "I should never have let her take on Applebuck Season on her own."

"Well regardless, I'd say it's time for Applejack to swallow her pride," Twilight said with conviction.

"Yeah, enough is enough if you ask me," Sora agreed. He scanned the perimeter once more. In the distance, he saw Applejack trudging through the tree line setting up buckets around a lone tree that still had it's apples. She looked exhausted, her movements were lethargic and eyes were heavy, "Over there."

"Must... keep... buckin'... just... a few... more," She spoke through ragged breaths, gasping for air after each word, "Must finish harvestin'."

"A.J!" Sora called out, getting her to turn her head to him and Twilight, "We need to talk!"

"Applejack, your applebucking hasn't just caused you problems," Twilight spoke, "It's over-propelled pegasus', practically poisoned ponies, and terrorized bushels of brand new bouncing baby bunnies. I don't care what you say, you. Need. Help."

Applejack grunted in denial, using what strength she had left to buck the tree free of it's apples, "Ha! No, ah don't. Look, ah did it. Ah harvested all of Sweet Apple Acres without help. How d'ya like them apples?"

"What, you mean those apples over there?" Sora sarcastically shot, pointing towards a large swath of apple trees not yet harvested. The farm mare didn't understand for a minute, unable to process how she could've missed those acres of trees. Applejack's will and determination abandoned her as the reality of the situation dawned on her.

"Where'd all the apple...?" Applejack's exhaustion finally took it's toll and she collapsed in a heap.

"Applejack. Applejack."  
"A.J, you okay?"

"Huh?" The farm mare slowly opened her eyes to see the source of those blurry voices. She had no idea how long she passed out but it couldn't have been that long.

"Oh, good, you're okay," Sora cheekily stated, a smirk prevalent on his face.

"Now Applejack, I completely respect the Apple family ways. However, you're clearly in over your head, so maybe you can put a little of your stubborn pride aside and allow your friends to help you," Twilight didn't expect Applejack to agree whatsoever. She was shown to be overly stubborn to a fault. However, the purple unicorn was ready to debate the earth pony on the subject for hours on end if it came to that.

"Okay," Applejack agreed.

"I am not taking "no" for an answer—what?" Twilight didn't think Applejack would agree that easily.

"Yes, please," The farm mare repeated, "I could really use your help," Her tone drastically shifted after seeing that she was nowhere near done harvesting.

"That's a relief," Sora said, "So, you want me to get to work then?"

"Yes please," Applejack replied.

"Okay, you get yourself some rest. You need it," Sora moved his attention to Twilight, "Cmon, let's pick up where A.J left off."

"You're eager to get started, aren't you?" Twilight took note as she and him trotted to the trees

"I'm always willing to help a friend out," Sora stated proudly. Twilight couldn't help but admire his conviction. He and Twilight were more than capable of harvesting the rest of the apples, considering Applejack collected every other apple from the orchard.

—

The next day, Spike and Twilight were spending their morning in the library, as they would be for some time. The studious unicorn was in a spree of obsessive information gathering; however, she wasn't very successful as nothing she read gave her any clues, or mention, of the Keyblade.

"Twilight, will you calm down now?" Spike asked in a deadpan tone. The purple unicorn was frantically skimming through book after book.

"There's nothing in these books that mention anything about a 'Keyblade,'" Twilight ignored Spike's words, causing the little drake to roll his eyes, "How come nopony ever recorded the Keyblade throughout history?!" Twilight cried, slumping in irritation, "I'm used to having the answers at my disposal."

"Aren't you taking this a little personally, Twilight?" Spike suggested, "Is it really that big of a deal?" He got his answer when Twilight rushed over to him and invaded his personal bubble.

"Spike! Don't you understand? "That weapon has to date back as far as thousand years and nopony seems to know about it," Stands of Twilight's mane began to go out of place as she grabbed Spike's shoulders, which didn't alleviate his current worry, "When Sora fought against those Heartless, he was using elemental magic spells. A pegasus casting magic! That shouldn't happen! But that Keyblade gives him the power to do so!" Twilight then stopped herself as inspiration hit her, "That's it! Sora!" She let go of Spike and began gathering blank scrolls and other miscellaneous items.

"Twilight, what are you doing?" Spike asked.

"I'm going to compile data about the Keyblade," Twilight excitedly stated, "I'll be the first pony in Equestria to do so!"

Spike still wasn't following what she was saying, "And how does that involve Sora?"

"Sora has a keyblade of his own," The mare explained, "Surely he must know it's capabilities and it's history. He'll be the cornerstone of the research. I'll have him go through some experiments and a questionnaire so I can learn more about the Keyblade."

"And you're sure Sora will help you?"

"Spike, Sora's my friend," Twilight reasoned, "He'll be more than willing to help me advance magical research," She recalled what he said to her yesterday, Sora always helps out a friend.

"Are you sure about this, Twilight?" Spike still wasn't sure about this endeavor.

"Spike, just trust me. He'll understand."

—

"Seriously?" Sora questioned. Twilight and Spike found Sora on the apple farm and relayed her plan to the caramel pegasus, that she wanted his help to research the Keyblade.

"Yes, I would very much appreciate your help in this project," Twilight replied with a pleading look. Spike was standing next to her, carrying quills, scrolls and a blank expression. Sora considered this prospect for a moment. He knew that he shouldn't reveal his other-worldly status, but showing Twilight the ins and outs of the Keyblade should be acceptable.

"Okay, I'll help out if I can," He answered.

"Oh, thank you so much, Sora!" She expressed her gratitude with a tight hug, which cut off Sora's air circulation.

"Can't breath..." He managed to say. Thankfully, Twilight released her hold on him, allowing him to refill his lungs. Just then, Applejack trotted up to the trio.

"Say, what's goin' on?" The farm mare asked.

"Hey A.J," Sora greeted, "I'm just going to help Twilight with some tests."

"Tests? What kinda tests?" She questioned.

"He's helping me better understand the powers of the Keyblade," Twilight explained, "I just need him to perform a few actions, cast some spells and answer a few questions is all."

"Hold on," Applejack interrupted with a stern expression, "Ya'll ain't doin' any of those crazy stunts near mah trees, ya hear me?"

"Don't worry, Applejack," Twilight assured, "I've picked out a good spot for this research project."

Twilight took Sora to an open field past the boundaries of Ponyville. Twilight, Sora and Spike were standing in the middle with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie standing to the side; Twilight invited them to bear witness to the research project. The mares were more than interested in seeing what Sora could do, so they agreed to the invite. Twilight had with her numerous scrolls, ink bottles and quills as well as a wooden chest.

"Okay, first order of business is for you to summon your keyblade," Twilight began, telepathically preparing a quill and scroll.

"Alright," Sora's keyblade appeared in the maw, the silver shaft radiating in the sunlight.

"Amazing," Twilight's eyes twinkled in amazement, "How do you make it appear like that?"

Sora spat his blade from his teeth into his right hoof, "I kind of just will it to appear to me."

"Fascinating, so it answers to your beck and call?" Twilight inquired.

"Something like that," Sora answered. Twilight scribbled down some notes then addressed the caramel pony.

"Okay, first order of business," Twilight started, "You said that the Keyblade has the power to open any lock, correct?" Sora remembered he told the mares that.

"Okay, so you want me to show it," Sora surmised.

"That's correct," Twilight nodded her head, "So, if you can please demonstrate this ability to me, that would be great," Twilight telepathically lifted the wooden chest in front of Sora, "This treasure chest is locked, if what you say is true, then you should be able to open this chest no problem."

"Watch and learn," Sora lifted his keyblade and brought the shaft down on top of the chest. In an instant, there was a click and the lid swung open. Sora eagerly looked inside the box while Twilight widened her eyes.

"You didn't even mack contact with the lock and it still opened!" Twilight stated in shock, "I had no idea it worked like that," Twilight then notice of the disappointed look in Sora's eyes after he looked inside of the chest, "What is it?"

"The chest is empty," Sora slumped.

"Uh, yes, it is..." Twilight didn't follow his train of thought, "Were you expecting something to be inside?"

"Yes," Sora pouted.

"Why is that?"

"There's always something inside of a treasure chest!" He crossed his fore-hooves.

"Sora, I only brought this here so you could demonstrate your keyblade's lock opening magic," Twilight replied, "Why would I have to store something inside it?"

"You could've at least told me before I got my hopes up," Sora crossed his fore-hooves. Twilight sighed in annoyance while the others snickered at the mare and stallion's little argument.

"Sora, I need you focus," Twilight requested, "This is very important!" She took a deep breath and continued what she wanted to say, "So the Keyblade opens anything, correct?" Sora got over not getting any treasure and nodded to the unicorn's question, "Does it work the other way around? Can you lock anything?" She closed the lid on the box.

"Yeah," Sora replied. He pointed the tip of his keyblade at the lock. Magic energy emanated from the blade, creating a beam of light the impacted the lock. Everypony (and dragon) watched in awe at the display, hearing a resounding click sound. Once the light died out, Twilight tried to open the lid again but it wouldn't budge.

"This is so incredible!" Twilight had the biggest grin on her face as she wrote her thoughts "Um, Sora, do you think I can I hold it?" Twilight asked with clear excitement in her voice. Her enthusiasm dwindled slightly when Sora twisted his expression in uncertainty.

"Well, that's complicated. The Keyblade has a mind of it's own. If it senses someone other than it's chosen wielder using it, it goes back to it's wielder," The purple unicorn scribbled down what he was saying.

"It does?" Rainbow Dash spoke, taking this revelation with disappointment, "Aww man, I was hoping you would let me take it for a spin sometime."

"Rainbow Dash's desires notwithstanding, can I hold it anyway?" She requested, "Just to see how this system works."

"Okay," Sora was happy to oblige, presenting his keyblade to Twilight so that she could grab the hilt with her teeth. It was strange, she could sense the magical energy within, but for some reason she could feel those powers being blocked away from her. Just as Sora said, his keyblade vanished from her grasp and reappeared back in Sora's hoof, "See. What do want to know next?"

"Hang on," Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, "I'm curious, what if I were to grab it with my magic. Would it still return to you?" That was an interesting question.

"Hmmm, That does seem like something I wanna try out," Sora presented his keyblade to Twilight again, who grabbed hold of the hilt with her unicorn magic. Just as before, the weapon vanished from view, reappearing in Sora's possession, "Well, that answers that question."

"This is so fascinating!" Twilight's eyes were practically sparkling, "So the keyblade is capable of detecting any kind of outside influence. This is so amazing!"

"So, what's next?" Sora asked, pleased that the purple unicorn was enjoying herself.

"We can't move on yet," Twilight said, "That's not how the scientific method works," Sora was confused. What else was there to discuss on this current topic?

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"We need to gauge the average time I can hold your keyblade before it returns to you. To do that, we need to run multiple tests and time each attempt so we can measure a basic average. We'll need to run more tests, ten for hoof held and magic held. We'll compare both averages and see if there is a difference between the two."

Sora didn't follow this line of logic at all, "Is that really necessary?"

"Of course it is," Twilight assured with a wave of her hoof, "Spike, get the stop watch ready."

As the test runs were underway, ten times Twilight grabbed the keyblade with her teeth and ten more times with her magic, Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack, "What does this prove exactly?"

"Ah don't know," The farm mare replied, "The result is the same either way."

After a sufficient number of test were completed, Twilight addressed Sora again, "I think that should do for this topic. I didn't immediately notice a time discrepancy between hoof held or magic held, but a closer look at the data might reveal something. But that's for later, now it's time to move to the next subject, your keyblade's magic."

"What about it?" Twilight's insistence on those small time tests made Sora more skeptical about this whole project.

"I saw you use fire, ice, wind, lightning and curative spells in the short time I've known you," Twilight pointed out, You're a pegasus, so casting magic is something you shouldn't be able to do

"We already know that, Twilight," Spike chipped in with his deadpan commentary.

"Well, yes, anyway," Twilight shot her assistant a glare, "I was wondering if there are any other spells you know," Sora figured that this should be an easy one to get past.

"Well, I can only perform a few spells," Sora went through his mental list of magic that he knew, "I can use fire, water, ice, wind, thunder and cure."

Twilight listed the spells Sora named off, "So are all of these spells combat oriented?" The caramel pegasus nodded his head.

"So, do you want me to show off each spell?"

"You catch on quick, don't you?" Twilight complimented, "I'd like you to show me what each spell does. There's plenty of open space around us, so you don't have to worry about vandalism or anything like that."

"Okay, here goes," Sora brandished his keyblade and went to work demonstrating his magic. He launched a great ball of fire that scorched a large patch of grass. Sora than raised his keyblade in the air and shouted "Water!" Two streams of water spiraled around Sora, forming a large sphere of liquid at the tip of the blade. The sphere flew towards where the fireball landed, creating a magnificent splash of water that sent droplets everywhere. Everypony went slack jawed amazed watching such a spectacular display, getting sprayed from the massive splash. Sora then proceeded to create a small tornado of blustery wind, a blast of ice that expanded into a spiked crystalline formation, and a bolt of electricity that created a brief but noticeable flash of light. The mares and dragon all awed in amazement at the sight of such magic.

"How was that?" Sora asked his audience. Their wide eyes and gaping mouths were proof enough that they thought it was incredible.

"That was awesome!" Spike exclaimed, "Man, that was even cooler than I imagined!"

"Hold on," Twilight interrupted, "You didn't show us your cure spell."

"Oh, yeah, I didn't think it was important to show off," Sora said.

"Not important?!" Twilight raised her voice, "Sora, you carry the most incredible weapon in the history of Equestria! I must be shown anything it can do!"

"But, you've seen me use cure before," Sora said, "When I fought Nightmare Moon," Twilight pondered what Sora was saying.

"True," She shook her head, "But I would like to see another demonstration, if you will."

"Okay, if you insist," Sora lifted his keyblade and casted cure, summoning the bellflower that sprayed him with green dust.

"Oooo, pretty," Pinkie stated.

"How does that work, exactly?" Twilight inquired.

"Well, I use cure to heal any injuries I have during battle," Twilight lowered her expression, that much was obvious.

"Does it apply only to physical injuries or can it heal anything else?" She further questioned.

"I know for a fact it doesn't work on stomach aches," Sora rubbed the back of his head nervously, "So I think it only works on physical injuries," The purple unicorn took little note of his stomach ache comment, but she did understand Sora

"Well, do you think you could show us those spells again?" Twilight was writing down notes as she spoke.

"I don't think I can do that," Sora admitted. Twilight accidentally pushed a hole in the scroll with the quill upon hearing this.

"What?! Why not?"

"My mana reserve is out," Sora explained.

"Mana?" Twilight repeated that word with confusion, "You mean magical energy, right?"

"Well, it's called mana where I'm from," He replied,_ "Should I have said that?"_

"Hmm," Twilight furrowed her brow in thought, making a mental note to bring up this 'mana' term later, "Anyway, I understood what you meant, your magic runs on a limited supply, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Sora confirmed, "When my mana runs out, it goes into a recharge period."

"Meaning you won't be able to use any magic until it recharges," Twilight finished.

"Exactly," Sora affirmed.

"That means we'll have to wait until you have your magic back until you can show your spells again," Twilight announced.

"What?" Rainbow Dash whined, "I don't wanna wait around for Sora's magic to come back. I wanna see Sora pull off some of his cool moves."

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight scolded, "This is meant to be serious research project."

"Come on, Twilight," Pinkie Pie spoke up, "You can't just have periods of time where nothing happens, it's bad entertainment."

"Well, I suppose we could start the questionnaire portion of the project," Twilight conceded.

"Questions?" Rainbow whined again, "This is the most boring demonstration ever!"

"Stop complaining!" Twilight fired back at the cyan mare, then she readdressed Sora, "I'm sure you'll answer my questions accordingly, correct?"

"Well, I'll answer to the best of my abilities," Sora put on a friendly smile. Inwardly, he was nervous. What if Twilight asks a question that would need him to reveal the truth?

Twilight brought out a scroll already written with a few pre-conceived questions, "First question: Who taught you how to fight?"

"I'm pretty much self taught," Sora answered. The mares and dragon all blanched in surprise.

"Self taught?!" Twilight repeated in shock, "You taught yourself all of those crazy abilities?"

"Yeah, mostly," Sora spoke as if it wasn't a huge deal.

"Mostly?" Twilight knew base on that phrase that there was more to his answer. She decided to push further, "That indicates that there were others that influenced your fighting techniques."

"Well, I did learn a few things from other people," Sora inwardly cringed, having realized he didn't say 'pony,' thankfully Twilight didn't seem to notice.

"So you did have some outside help," The purple unicorn confronted, "Can you name off anyone?" Sora quickly became conflicted. He knew he couldn't reveal much information about himself or his past, but it felt wrong to deceive these ponies who he viewed as his friends.

"I can't say," He answered with a hint of remorseful truth.

"Huh? You can't say?" Twilight repeated. That sounded like a flimsy excuse to her. Even the others thought Sora's reasoning sounded vague.

"Yeah, sorry," Sora drooped his ears, speaking in an apologetic manner. Twilight was skeptical, why would Sora have to hide the identities of ponies he's learned from? It was that big of a deal so she moved onto another topic.

"Okay then, let's try a different question," Twilight kept asking questions for some time, some of which included:

"Can the Keyblade open anything other than locks?"  
"Who taught you how to use magic?"  
"Where did the Heartless really come from?"  
"Who or what created the Keyblade?"

With each of those questions, Sora gave a vague response that didn't entirely satisfy the unicorn's curiosity; having Sora say 'a wizard' taught him what knows of magic wasn't very helpful. Twilight continually hounded Sora to give further details, but he kept saying that the information was meant to be secret. There were a few questions that Sora answered with no restrictions, such as why his clothes changed when he fought Nightmare Moon. It was something Sora could do if he was fighting well enough; he called the change Second Form, and it gave him an assortment of new powers. The move where Sora shot beams of light from his keyblade was a technique he called Ragnarok, an attack that requires a great amount of focus to achieve. For the most part, however, Sora was stingy with details that might reveal his otherworldly status.

"Are we done yet?" Sora asked, exhaustion prevalent in his voice. Twilight ignored him and kept scribbling down notes.

"Not even close!" Twilight hysterically shouted. She was getting really annoyed with his omitting of details, "Apparently, you're not a very reliable source."

"Now that's not fair, Twilight," Applejack fired, trotting over to the unicorn. The others did so as well.

"Honestly, darling, surely you must have enough information by now," Rarity expressed her opinion.

"Are you kidding?" Twilight seemed to completely miss the point, "He's given not telling me crucial details," Her eyes began to twitch in annoyance, bringing her attention fully to Sora, "I get it, you want to keep all the Keyblade's secrets for yourself, don't you?!" Her accusation earned her a round of gasps from her friends, especially Sora.

"What?!" He cried out, "I am not doing that!"

"Then why aren't you spilling any crucial information, huh?" Twilight continued her heated argument, "You're purposely hiding details so you can discredit my research! Some friend you are!" Sora flinched. He was trying his best to help her, but he couldn't answer everything she was asking of him.

"Twilight!" Spike called out, "This is getting out of hoof!" He couldn't stand hearing Twilight talk like this, so he decided to call her out on it. The other mares were looking at her in contempt for how she was acting.

"Why is everypony against me all of a sudden?!" Twilight cried out. All she wanted to do was leave her mark on the magical landscape of Equestria, but these ponies were treating her like a villain for doing so.

"Twilight!" Spike did not let up, he was getting sick of seeing her treat Sora so poorly, "You're going out of line! Sora isn't trying to discredit you!"

"Spike!" Sora stopped the purple dragon, "Just one more question, then I'm done," Dealing with Twilight's accusation, along with her less than pleasant attitude, left him in an agitated state. It was taking all of his being to not blow his lid at the purple unicorn, "I said I was going to help, and I'll do it."

"Alright then," Twilight primed another fresh scroll, "This is a question I know you can't worm your way out of. How and when did you get your keyblade?" Sora's eyes widened.

"W-what..?" Sora didn't expect her to ask that particular question. It was the same problem, he couldn't completely answer this question, doing so would reveal that he came from another world.

"Yes, I want to know all about your first experience with your keyblade," Twilight asked with a sly smile, "That's perfectly reasonable, right?"

"Um—well..." Sora wasn't sure how he should answer. As a matter of fact, he wasn't sure he wanted to answer. He didn't want to answer.

"Surely you would remember the day where you received such a powerful tool," Twilight reasoned. She wasn't wrong, Sora clearly remembered what happened like it was yesterday, and it was making him uncomfortable.

"I-I don't know..." Sora stammered, facing away from Twilight, but she was determined to get an answer.

"Come on! Of course you know!" Twilight prodded, determined to get an answer out of Sora. The caramel pegasus in question felt something inside of him, something heated. He didn't want to answer this question, but the demanding unicorn wouldn't let up, "I just need you to tell me the exact circumstances, preferably in great detail," Sora started breathing very heavily, "Learning the circumstances that leads to a Keyblade's appearance will greatly help my—" He turned to her.

"SHUUUUT UUUUP!" Sora screamed at the top of his lungs. Twilight dropped her magical hold on her scroll and quill in shock. The others all flinched back hearing Sora raise his voice so much. His face was one of pure anger, directed fully to the purple unicorn who had the gall to call him a bad friend, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I'm done helping your dumb research! How about you leave me alone, quit it with your stupid questions and mind your own BUSINESS!" Sora turned his back to Twilight and stormed off in a furious trek.

"Sora, hold on," Applejack called, trotting up to the caramel stallion.

"GO AWAY!" Sora yelled, not facing the others, "I wanna be alone right now!" He continued on his way, not caring where he was going so long as it was away from Twilight. Everypony stood stunned over what had transpired.

"I didn't think Sora could get that angry," Spike commented.

"I don't get it," Twilight said after she recovered from her shock, "What could've made him snap like that?"

"Well, Twilight," Rarity approached, "I for one believe he was tired of all of your attitude."

"Attitude?" Twilight began to take a closer look at her actions. Pinkie then threw in her two cents.

"Yeah, you were kind of acting like a condescending jerk to Sora near the end," The pink mare said, "Even then, he still wanted to help you."

"Quite frankly, Twilight, that kind of attitude is unbecoming of you," Rarity shook her head.

Fluttershy then decided to pitch in, "You—well... You were acting like a great big jerk."

Twilight drooped her ears in shame, "I only wanted to contribute to the study of magic."

"And that made it okay?" Rainbow Dash called out. Twilight could only cringe in response. It did seem like a lame excuse.

"Twilight, when you saw the chance to do your own research, you let it go to your head," Spike shook his head, "I know how much you like to study, but I felt like you took it to far," Twilight could feel her heart breaking at her friend's words.

"I... Am I really like that?" She stammered.

"No!" Spike tried to console her, "I know you Twilight, I know that isn't like you at all."

"If I could say sumthin'," Applejack brought all attention to her, "Ah've known Sora for only a short time, but that boy's got himself a heart of gold. If he weren't givin' ya straight answers, then he musta had a reason. Seemed to me that he was being as honest as he could be," A reason to hide information?

"And I called him a bad friend. That's why he yelled at me," Twilight reiterated. In hindsight, it sounded like such a mean action, how could she not have noticed it herself?

"Actually, ah think there was another thing that made Sora snap like he did," Applejack said, "Ya notice he went off when ya asked him how he got his keyblade? Call me crazy, but ah think he lashed out cause it was a painful memory."

"A painful memory?" Twilight repeated, "What do you mean?"

"Take it from me, Twilight," Applejack took her hat off and placed it over her heart, "Some ponies don't like talkin' about certain things."

Twilight became uneasy. What Applejack said made sense, Sora was increasingly hesitant to answer when he received his keyblade. He was getting far more agitated as the questions continued. Twilight was adamant to getting those questions answered, pushing Sora to do so until she resorted to guilt-tripping him. It all crashed down on her painfully, she was a terrible friend. Here she was supposed to be studying the magic of friendship, and here she was destroying her own friendships. The only thing she could do was cry.

"I'm awful..." She sobbed, collapsing onto her haunches. Twilight's friends all hated to see her like this, "What am I supposed to do? Now Sora hates me."

"Now hold on there, sugarcube," Applejack took on a softer tone, "Ya'll don't know that."

"He does!" Twilight was in full hysterics, "I called him a bad friend. I'm the bad friend!"

"Twilight, darling, it's not the end of the world," Rarity consoled, gently rubbing Twilight's back, "It might make you feel better if you talk to him."

"He won't talk to me!" The purple pony shouted. This time it was Rainbow Dash who spoke up.

"You wont know unless you try, right?" She said.

Twilight began to calm down now that her initial tears were let out. Lethargically, she rose to all fours and wiped her eyes dry.

"Spike, can you get the data back to the library?" Twilight asked her assistant.

"Okay, sure, but what are going to do?"

"I'm going to apologize to my friend," Twilight stated in solemn determination, trotting off to find Sora and try to make amends. Her friends could only watch her trot off, hoping she could make peace with the Keyblade wielder.

—

Twilight searched Ponyville for any sign of the caramel pegasus. Along the way, Twilight considered what Applejack had said. Maybe the day Sora received his keyblade was a day he doesn't like to remember. Even if it wasn't, Twilight still had to apologize to Sora for how she acted. She let her ambition drive her to take advantage of Sora's good will, now she had to pick up the pieces.

When arriving at the park, Twilight found exactly who she was looking for; Sora was lying on a lone park bench, facing the opposite direction of the unicorn. Twilight was awash with conflicting emotions, she had no idea what to say. All that she understood right now was that her and Sora's relationship was fractured. Knowing this, Twilight willed herself to step forward to the shaking pegasus. She fell into even further despair when she heard Sora crying.

"I can't get home," He sobbed, burying his face in his hooves. Twilight felt her heart sink. The unicorn's normally over-studious nature would compel her to press for more information, but that drive was gone. Sora The message was clear, Sora's first experience with the Keyblade was anything but a happy memory. Twilight felt her own eyes tear up. She drove him to this state. She didn't feel deserving of his friendship, but there was one thing she still needed to say.

"Sora," The purple unicorn called with shaky breath. Sora jerked his head up and tilted his head towards Twilight. She dived into even further despair, Sora... I am so sorry," Twilight could barely see through her tears, "I am so ashamed of myself for how I treated you," She had wipe her rolling tears away with a hoof as she continued, "I should never have insulted you the way I did," Sora just looked at her with a somber expression. Finally, he lifted himself off the bench and trotted to Twilight.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," he said in earnest. Twilight couldn't believe her ears.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Asked the distraught and now bamboozled unicorn, "You should be furious with me."

"I was angry with you," Sora kept speaking, "Look, about why I wasn't completely honest with you, there really are some things I'm not supposed to say as a Keyblade wielder, but there are some things I don't like to talk about," He sighed in deep thought, "Listen, I'm going through some things right now, but I don't want that to stop us from being friends. I'm willing look past what happened if you are. If you really do need to know, I'll tell you," Twilight felt like dirt. There was no way she could ever except this offer, considering what transpired earlier.

"I don't want you to tell me," Twilight couldn't stop herself from shaking uncontrollably, "It wasn't right for me to be so demanding. I put my desires over our friendship. If you really do need to keep these secrets, I won't push you to tell me," She looked away from Sora as fresh tears spilled out, "I'm such an awful friend," She half expected the caramel pegasus to walk away in disgust with her. Instead, the opposite occurred.

"But you realized your mistakes," Sora pointed out, gently tilting Twilight's head so that she made eye contact with him, "Twilight, you're being too hard on yourself. What matters is that you can learn from your mistakes to be a better pony. Call me strange, but I know that you're a good pony deep down."

"Sora..." Twilight blubbered.

"Twilight, I forgive you. Can you forgive me?" Sora asked. He got his answer when Twilight lunged at him and hugged him. The caramel pegasus could hear her cry tears of relief. He did the only thing he could do in a situation like this, he hugged her back. Today was a roller coaster of emotions for both of them, but they still remained friends through it all.

—

Evening rolled in, and Twilight and Sora went about the rest of their days. The purple pony returned to the library where the data she collected was waiting for her. She didn't feel like sorting through it. She only had one thing on her mind, and it was eating away at her.

"Twilight, are you alright?" Asked a worried Spike. Twilight barely said a thing to him since she got back.

"I'm not alright, Spike, I feel awful," She slummed on top of her desk. Twilight was still beating herself up over how she acted today, treated Sora like a lowly lab rat instead of a pony.

"Didn't Sora forgive you?" Spike tried to cheer her up, "Isn't it okay now?" Twilight turned herself to face the little dragon directly.

"Sora taught me just how amazing friendship is, and I almost threw it away," She drooped her ears in sadness, "I should have known better than to take advantage of his friendship," Twilight took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts, "I don't want to lose my friends," Celestia sent Twilight on a mission to discover the magic of friendship, and she was doing a poor job at being a friend.

Spike was at a loss for words, he wasn't used to seeing Twilight in such a state. The Twilight he knew was a diligent student always ready to do her best, not a mopping slump. She did leave her desk to look at her assistant with a determined gaze.

"Spike, take a letter."

**Dear Princess Celestia,**

**I've learned an incredibly important lesson in friendship. I asked Sora to help me when I wanted to learn more about the Keyblade. When he didn't meet my expectations, I accused him of being a terrible friend. In the process, I strained my relationship with Sora, driving him into a depressive state because of my actions. Even though he still views me as his friend, I do not feel deserving of his forgiveness. Through this experience, I have learned that I should never take my friendships for granted and to always be conscious of my friend's feelings.**

**Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.**

"Do not lose faith in yourself, my student," Celestia spoke after reading the letter, "You have a strong heart."


	9. Boast Busters

Five days passed, in that time everything started to stabilize again after Twilight's "research project." The purple unicorn was more than relieved to know that her friends, especially Sora, didn't hate her for what happened. Still, she became more distant after that day. Twilight clearly needed to sort some things out so her friends gave her some space. Right now, Sora was gliding across the skyline of Ponyville, looking for a familiar multicolor-maned pegasus. He did find her in one of her usual spots when she wasn't practicing her flight or maintaining the weather; Rainbow Dash was lying down on a cloud, her face slumped down.

"Hey, Rainbow," He called out. The cyan mare snapped her head to whatever she heard, only to realize it was the caramel pegasus she called her friend.

"Oh, it's you, Sora. What's up?" Her tone was far from it's usual cocky and brash attitude. She sounded sad.

"I just wanted to check up on you, is all," Sora said. Yesterday, Rainbow Dash met up with an old friend from her days in flight school, a griffin named Gilda. Rainbow was more than ecstatic to reconvene with an old friend, but it turned out that Gilda had changed from childhood. She was a rude and unpleasant individual who insulted and bullied Rainbow Dash's other friends behind her back. Gilda even made Fluttershy cry. Pinkie Pie and Sora saw how the griffin was acting, the latter disgusted with her attitude. Sora was set on giving Gilda a piece of his mind, but Pinkie dissuaded him. She convinced the caramel pegasus that all Gilda needed was a party to get her lighten up. Unfortunately, a very pranks devised by Rainbow Dash made Gilda blow her lid and reveal what a bully she was. After a tense argument, Gilda and Rainbow Dash left on bad terms. Since then, the cyan mare seemed more distant than her usual brash self. Strangely, even Twilight grew more distant after the whole affair for unknown reasons.

"I'm getting over it," Rainbow waved off. Sora could only sigh. He knew that she was hurting over what happened. Realizing what a bully her old friend had been

"I can imagine how tough it was for you," Sora sympathized. Rainbow Dash perked her ears up. Not wanting to be seen as weak, the cyan mare stood up and put on a tough face.

"Yeah, whatever," She spouted, "I don't need her anyway!" Rainbow wasn't doing a very good job at hiding her feelings.

"Rainbow, it's okay," Sora said, "You don't have to deny that you're hurting," Rainbow folded her fore-hooves and turned away, pouting all the while.

"Can we not talk about my feelings, please?" She requested, her face slumping, "Look, I hate what happened with Gilda, but you and the others are my friends too. I wasn't just gonna let her get away with insulting my friends."

"If you say so," After the incident, Sora suggested to Rainbow Dash that she should talk things out with Gilda. His request was met with disgust, Rainbow Dash didn't feel like associating herself with someone who 'betrayed my trust.' Still, the whole ordeal left a sour note, "Just remember, your friends are here for you if you need them," Sora reminded Rainbow. She grumbled in response. She darted her eyes around, hoping to find some sort of distraction, and she found just that.

"Hey, check that out," Sora turned his attention to where Rainbow was pointing with her hoof. There was a crowd gathering not to far away from their position. The crowd in question was gathering in front of a yellow wooden wagon with a red roof. Curiosity at the peak levels, Sora and Rainbow Dash flew to the front where Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sora asked Applejack.

"Ah don't know," The farm mare replied, "Some kinda travelin' performer came to Ponyville ah reckon," After she said that, the wagon's side opened, bringing out a foldable stage where ponies could perform. Appearing on the stage in a puff of smoke was a pale blue unicorn dressed in a purple wizard's hat and cloak adorned with stars. Her curvy silver mane and tail were hidden underneath her attire, as was her cutie mark of blue magic energy swirling around a magician's wand. Her light pink eyes displayed an air of confidence that crossed well into the realm of arrogance.

"Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!" She certainly was great at garnering attention, for the crowd was mesmerized by Trixie's presentation, "Watch in awe as The Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!" She used her horn to create a spectacular display of fireworks, further dazzling the crowd. The only ones who didn't seem impressed were Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

"My word, so flamboyant," Rarity noted in a disapproving tone.

"She acts like some kinda spoiled princess," Applejack added, watching Trixie pull a veil of flowers from nowhere.

Twilight took note of how her friends were reacting to the mare currently on stage. She began to show visible signs of worry. Sora found his eyesight drifting towards Twilight, noticing her eyes darting back and forth.

"Big deal," Spike spoke, "Twilight could easily—" The purple unicorn cut him off with a hoof covering his mouth. Sora noticed this action, wondering why Twilight would cut Spike off like that.

"Alright, Trixie," Rainbow Dash flew into the stage mare's personal space, "What makes you so awesome, anyway?" Trixie used her magic to push the cyan mare back.

"Heh, why, only The Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish the dreaded ursa major!" She then created a a magical image of herself facing off against a giant bear, "When all hope was lost, the ponies of Hoofington had no one to turn to, but The Great and Powerful Trixie," The images moved in tantrum with Trixie's words to depict her defeating the beast, "With her awe inspiring magic, she vanquished the ursa major and sent it back to its cave deep within the Everfree Forest!"

Two ponies who were absolutely eating this story up were two unicorn colts. The first was short and pudgy with a blue coat, a short orange mane and a cutie mark of a pair of scissors. The second was a taller colt, with an orange coat, a blue mane, large ears and a cutie mark of a snails. These two colts were named Snips and Snails.

"That settles it," Snips declared, fully convinced of Trixie's abilities based on one tall tale.

"Trixie truly is the most talented, the most magical, the most awesome unicorn in Ponyville," Snails continued."

"No, in all of Equestria!" Snips continued to feed Trixie's ego, and she was loving every second of it.

"How could you two possibly know?" Sora pointed out, "You weren't even there."

"It's true, my enthusiastic little admirers. Trixie is most certainly the best in Ponyville," Trixie's egomaniacal boast didn't earn her any points with the audience, as the only thing to be heard was a stray cricket, "Don't believe The Great and Powerful Trixie? Well then, I hereby challenge you, Ponyvillians. Anything you can do, I can do better. Any takers? Or is Trixie destined to be the greatest equine who has ever lived?!"

"Man what a showoff," Sora began to grow tired of Trixie's attitude himself, and she just trotted onstage a minute ago.

Spike, meanwhile, was whispering to Twilight, "Ya gotta show her up, Twilight. She's unbearable."

"There's no way I'm going to use my magic now, Spike," Twilight refused, "Especially since—"

"Hmm, how about you?" Trixie addressed Twilight, who stopped her private conversation with spike and gulped nervously, "Well, how about it?" Trixie continued to prod Twilight, "Is there anything you can do that the Great and Powerful Trixie can't?"

"Well, I—um..." Twilight had difficultly finding her words.

"Well, little hayseed?" Trixie eagerly awaited Twilight's answer, an evil grin plastered on the show mare's muzzle. Thankfully for Twilight, Applejack stepped in.

"That's it! Ah can't stand for no more of this!" She leapt onto Trixie's stage with the full intent to teach Trixie some manners.

"You show her, A.J!" Sora cheered.

"Can yer fancy magic do this?" Applejack used her tail to spin a lasso which she To end her display, Applejack threw her lasso to a nearby apple tree. The rope coiled around one of the tasty fruit off it's branch. Applejack then pulled the apple from the tree and caught it in her mouth. The ponies of the audience cheered for the orange pony as she swallowed her treat, "Top that, missy," She goaded.

"Oh ye of little talent," Trixie taunted, removing her wizard's hat from her head, "Watch and be amazed by the magic of Trixie!" Her horn lit up in a light pink aura. She telekinetically grabbed Applejacks lasso and used it to coil another apple from the same tree. Trixie used the rope to tie up Applejack's legs, making her fall on her back. To add insult to injury, Trixie pulled over the apple she coiled and stuffed it into Applejack's mouth. The crowd laughed at her misfortune as she hobbled off the stage. Sora's first instinct was to aid his friend.

"A.J! You okay?" Sora helped the farm mare escape her bind and pulled the apple from her mouth.

"Ah think so," She answered, recomposing herself.

"Once again, the Great and Powerful Trixie prevails," She flaunted. Trixie's cocky expression as she said that did nothing to help Sora's opinion of her.

"There's no need to be rude like that," Sora called out. Seeing the pony who gave him such hospitality being toyed with made Sora's blood boil.

"Oh? And why shouldn't Trixie strut her stuff?" She asked rhetorically.

"Because that's my job!" Rainbow Dash jumped into the conversation, "Watch and learn!" She bolted high into air. She dipped downwards and headed towards a windmill, flying with the wheel so that it spun faster and faster. Rainbow Dash continued her momentum into the sky where she blasted through a cloud, covering herself in raindrops. The cyan mare dashed back down to the stage and skidded to a halt. Above her form was a bright and vibrant rainbow, "They don't call me 'Rainbow' and 'Dash' for nothin'!" The crowd agreed with her sentiment; however, Trixie did not.

"When Trixie is through, the only thing they'll call you is loser," She fired a beam of magic from her horn at the rainbow above Dash. The colorful spectrum of light started to move with a mind of it's own, encircling Rainbow Dash. The athletic mare spun uncontrollably.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa-a-a-a! I think I'm gonna be sick," Rainbow Dash flew up in the air and crashed right next to where her friends were. The mares and stallion all helped her back onto her hooves.

"Seems like anypony with a 'dash' of good sense would think twice before tussling with the Great Trixie," Just so she could pour salt on the wound, Trixie magically conjured a small storm cloud, using it to strike Rainbow Dash with lightning. Her reaction caused the crowd to laugh.

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" Sora shouted. Trixie simply scoffed in response.

"What we need is another unicorn to challenge her," Spike proposed. He turned his gaze over to Twilight, "Somepony with some magical talent of her own."

"Yeah! A unicorn to show this unicorn who's boss," Rainbow added.

"A real unicorn to unicorn tussle," Applejack threw in her two cents.

"Uh..." Twilight could feel all eyes on her, even though she was in the front of the crowd.

"Enough. Enough, all of you. I take your hint, but Rarity is above such nonsense," Evidently, Rarity really didn't take the hint. Everypony looked at her like she was crazy, "Rainbow Dash and Applejack may behave like ruffians, but Rarity conducts herself with beauty and grace."

"Ooo, what's the matter?" Trixie took the chance to infuriate Rarity, "Afraid you'll get a hair out of place in that rat's nest you call a mane?" That did the trick.

"It. Is. On!" The fashionista declared, climbing onstage, "You may think you're tough with all of your so-called powers, but there's more to magic than your brutish ways. A unicorn needs to be more than just muscle. A unicorn needs to have style," Rarity "A unicorn is not a unicorn without grace and beauty," Rarity's end result was quite eye catching. She transformed the curtain into a simple blue dress with a golden collar, saddle and hemline. She also styled her mane into a more elegant style. The ponies of the audience ooh'ed and aww'ed at the graceful beauty that was Rarity.

"Rarity won't let Trixie get the best of her!" Spike couldn't help but showcase his admiration for Rarity through compliments, "She's strong, she's beautiful, she's—" And then Trixie casted another spell. Suddenly the look of admiration from the crowd turned into shock.

"Quick! I need a mirror! Get me a mirror!" Rarity shouted hysterically, "What did she do to my mane? I know she did something terrible to my mane!"

"Uh, it's Nothing," Twilight lied.

"It's fine," Rainbow Dash lied also.

"It's gorgeous," Sora kept the train of lies moving.

"It's green," Spike derailed the lie. Then Sora punched Spike's arm, him and the others glaring at him, "What?" It was true, Trixie turned Rarity's gorgeous mane into a swirling blob of green.

"Ugh, no. Green hair! Not green hair!" Rarity cried away her mascara, "Such an awful, awful color!" She bolted away from the scene, desperate to fix what Trixie had done.

"Well Twilight, guess it's up to you," Spike looked to the purple one once again, "Come on, show her what you're made of."

"What do you mean?" Twilight began to sweat buckets, "I'm nothing special."

"Yes, you are!" Spike continued, "You're better than her!"

"No I'm not!" She denied. Unfortunately for Twilight, Trixie decided to address the purple unicorn.

"Hah! You think you're better than The Great and Powerful Trixie? You think you have more magical talent?" She goaded Twilight, looking at the purple pony with an icy glare, "Well, come on, show Trixie what you've got. Show us all."

"Who, me? I'm just your run-of-the-mill citizen of Ponyville," She said in a fearful tone, "No powerful magic here. I, uh... I think I hear my laundry calling. Sorry, gotta go," Twilight turned away from Trixie and ran off as fast and her legs would carry her.

"Twilight!" Spike called out, but his cry fell on deaf ears. The purple unicorn still ran off, prompting the dragon to follow after her. Sora watched the two run off, wondering why Twilight would just leave like that. Didn't she have magical power of her own?

"So the purple loser runs away," Trixie declared, "Not surprising in the slightest. Once again, The Great and Powerful Trixie has proven herself to be the most amazing equine in all of Equestria!" That was the last straw for Sora. Seeing this showoff insult and humiliate his friends was too much for the caramel pegasus.

"Wanna bet?" Sora called out. Trixie turned her attention to the caramel pegasus, keyblade swung over his shoulder, "I'll take you on!"

"And now a spiky maned weakling has chosen to challenge The Great and Powerful Trixie?!" The show mare insulted. Sora wasn't fazed whatsoever. He simply leapt atop the stage, his presence demanding much attention from the audience, this was the pony who fought Nightmare Moon and those monsters in town hall after all.

"I've gone up against foes that were way more intimidating than you!" Sora declared, "I won't just sit by and watch you insult and belittle my friends!"

"Please, what could you do that The Great and Powerful Trixie cannot?" The magician retorted, "Nothing! Trixie is perfect in everything she does!"

"Really?" Sora held a smirk on his face, "Can you hold my keyblade?" He held it up so that the entire crowd could see it clearly. Trixie eyed the blade, clearly unimpressed.

"You insult Trixie with such a simple task," She scoffed, turning her back to Sora, "Trixie is a mare capable of wondrous feats, and you devolve me to carry an oversized key?"

"So you can't do it?" Sora teased. His ploy worked as Trixie immediately turned her frame and locked his keyblade in her unicorn aura, snagging it away from his hoof.

"Ha! You thought you could fool Trixie with your mind games!" She sneered, waving the keyblade around mockingly, "You're clearly dumber than you—" Her ego parade ended when the keyblade immediately vanished from her magical grip, reappearing in the hoof of a cheeky Sora. Trixie and the crowd gaped in bewilderment, aside from the four Element bearers still present; they knew the truth behind this occurrence.

"What was that you were saying?" The caramel pegasus taunted. Trixie was besides herself. Recomposing herself, she magically pulled Sora's keyblade to her again. Second verse, same as the first, the key teleported back to Sora's side. Now getting flustered, Trixie continually attempted to take the keyblade, but it simply refused to comply with her. With each unsuccessful attempt, the show mare grew more and more frustrated.

"How are you doing that?!" Trixie demanded to know. Sora dismissed his keyblade and eyed her with a cocky expression.

"Sorry, can't tell," Sora answered.

"What?!" Trixie hysterically shouted. Her blood began to boil, hearing the crowds uproarious laughter and seeing Sora's goofy grin didn't help her mood either, "Nopony makes a fool of The Great and Powerful Trixie!" She took a ragged breath, resuming her disposition of superiority, "Maybe you have some dumb enchanted key, but you're still a foal compared to the awesome talent of The Great and Powerful Trixie!"

"Okay 'Great and Powerful Trixie,'" Sora spoke with sarcasm dripping from his mouth, which further angered Trixie, "How about you show me what you can do, and stop talking about it."

"Very well you scrawny ingrate," Trixie shot, "The Great and Powerful Trixie will show you her amazing power! Name anything and Trixie will prevail!"

"Anything?" Sora repeated. He had a plan to put this egotist in her place, and she was falling right into his... hooves, "Okay, face me in a magic duel!" Trixie eyed him with an expression that said, 'seriously?'

"You're joking, right?" Sora's expression showed most definitely that he was deathly serious, "But... You're a pegasus."

"What's the matter, scared of losing?" That set off something in Trixie's brain, judging by the killer glare and the grinding teeth.

"Very well, you dolt," Trixie had a manic grin on her face, "If you wish to be humiliated, Trixie will be more than happy to oblige," The show mare lit her horn and brought back the storm cloud from earlier. She used this to give Sora a small shock.

"Hey!" Sora jumped in place, getting shocked by the electricity.

"If you wish to give up now, The Great and Powerful Trixie may yet show you—" Then she felt every nerve in her body cry out in pain. All Trixie felt was a massive surge of electricity entering her body, forcing her limbs to twitch in all manner of ways. When it was over, Trixie fell down, her senses juggling from active to drowsy. The blast of lightning left her cloak singed in a few areas. The crowd went awestruck, their attention focused solely on Sora, who held his keyblade in his teeth. Trixie's eyesight, once it recovered, fell on the caramel pegasus as well.

"W-w-w-wh... What?" Her mind overclocked itself, trying to conceive what happened. She didn't see him grab a storm cloud of his own, yet he still hit her with lightning. Trixie scrambled onto her hooves and scowled at her opposition, "I demand to know how you did that!"

"Feel like giving up?" Sora continued to antagonize Trixie, and she kept taking the bait. Lighting her horn once again. This time, Trixie summoned a great ring of fire above her. In a swirling motion, the ring twisted and turned into an image of Trixie.

"I doubt you could muster a response for this," She gloated. With a smirk on his face, Sora lifted his keyblade in the air.

"Stream!" He declared, casting a water spell. The orb of water impacted with the fire Trixie, extinguishing the flame into steam. The rest of the water dropped on top of the real Trixie, dousing her self and her already damaged attire. The crowd was beginning to murmur amongst themselves, clearly favoring Sora right now.

Trixie shook her head dry; the rest of her body was shaking in anger. How could she be losing a magic duel to such a stupid spiky-maned pony. In a fit of childish rage, Trixie magically grabbed hold of Sora's hood and pulled it over his head. The caramel pegasus was forced to bend over from the force of Trixie's telekinesis.

In response, Sora casted another one of his spells, Aero. A gusty tornado threw both ponies into the air. Trixie was screaming for her life as she flailed her limbs erratically. Sora, having his hood freed from Trixie's grasp, glowed in a blue aura as he performed a double backflip, earning him a round of amazed reactions from the audience. Still with his hood over his head, the caramel pegasus gracefully landed back on the stage. Trixie wasn't so lucky, she crashed down onto her own stage in a daze.

Sora lowered his hood off his head, hoping his hair wasn't damaged. After such a spectacular display of magic and acrobatics, the crowd began to erupt in applause for the keyblade wielder. In the midst of such admiration, Sora was compelled to wave back in appreciation. His time in the spotlight was cut short when Trixie forcefully shoved him off the stage.

"You—you..." Trixie was absolutely seething with anger at having been bested, "I will not forget this you cheater! Rest assured that The Great and Powerful Trixie will have her revenge! Begone, all of you!" She retreated behind the curtain. At that moment, the stage retracted back into the wagon it had appeared from.

"Geez, what a sore loser," Sora commented, standing upright once more. After the stage disappeared, the gathered ponies began to disperse, returning to whatever activities they were doing beforehand.

"Way to put that showoff in her place!" Applejack complimented, patting Sora the back, pretty hard he noted.

"Yeah, that was pretty awesome," Rainbow Dash furthered.

"I wasn't gonna let Trixie get away with insulting my friends like that," Sora stated proudly, "I had to do something!"

"Well, we sure appreciate ya standin' up to that varmint," Applejack stated proudly, "Ah couldn't stand to hear anymore of her nonsense."

"Still, there's something I don't get," Sora furrowed his brow, "Why did she run away from Trixie?"

"Yeah, isn't she supposed to be super good with magic or something?" Rainbow Dash chipped in.

"She has been actin' pretty strange lately," Applejack noted, "Maybe somethin's bothering her," It made sense, ever since Sora blew his lid at her, Twilight's been acting strange. Something must be on her mind.

"I'm gonna go talk to her," Sora declared, "Maybe I can figure out what's wrong."

As Sora left to find Twilight, two certain colts were conversing with one another.

"Can you believe that guy?" Snips asked.

"Yeah," Snails concurred, "Why would make Trixie look dumb? She's awesome! She beat an ursa major!"

"Yeah, if only there was a way to prove how awesome she is..." Snips thought very, very hard. Then an idea came to him. An idea that would prove once and for all that Trixie was the best equine in all of Equestria. There was only one problem, where to find a giant bear cave.

—

Sometimes the most obvious answers are usually the right answers. When it came to figuring out where Twilight ran off to, the library that served as her residence was the obvious answer. Sora found the studious unicorn reading book, as she usually would, with a disappointed Spike next to her.

"There you are Twilight," Sora greeted. Twilight jumped out of her skin and drove her eyes to the source of the voice.

"Oh, it's you, Sora," She sighed in relief.

"Hey Twilight, I've been looking for you," He started.

"Y-you have?" Twilight averted her eyes from Sora, worried that he would bring up Trixie.

"Yeah, I was hoping to ask you about what happened back there," It was exactly as Twilight feared, "Why did you run off like that when Trixie challenged you?"

"Trixie was just too good," Twilight unconvincingly explained, "You saw how amazing she is. I could never measure up to talent like that."

"Twilight, I know for a fact that isn't true!" Spike insisted, clearly frustrated with the unicorn's lack of action.

"Yeah, aren't you the Princess' student?" Sora brought up. Twilight could feel sweat trickling down her head. Being the center of attention is not a facet she is familiar nor comfortable with.

"Twilight could've easily shown up that loud mouth!" Spike proclaimed to Sora, "Just today, Twilight perfected 25 different magic tricks!"

"Wow, really?!" Sora was amazed Twilight was that good, _"I guess she's Celestia's personal student for a reason,"_ Perfecting that many tricks in such a short amount of time was certainly a feat, "What kind of tricks are we talking about?"

"Well, my favorite is the mustache spell—"

"Spike!" Twilight angrily shouted, turning away from her book to glare at the little drake, who flinched in shock, "I told you to drop the subject already!" Spike looked downcast after Twilight yelled at him.

"Twilight, what's really going on here?" Sora inquired. Twilight softened her expression.

"You saw how our friends reacted when they saw Trixie," Twilight elaborated, "I don't want them to think I'm a showoff. What if they stopped being my friend because of that?"

"You really think they'll stop being your friend because you're talented?" Sora questioned. It seemed like such a silly thing to be worried over. Then again, Twilight seemed serious about it, "Twilight, you're nothing like Trixie."

"It's just," The purple unicorn turned her gaze away from Sora as she compiled her feelings, "Ever since I upset you the other day, I've been scared of my friends abandoning me, and seeing what happened between Rainbow Dash and Gilda only increased that worry. I know that I'm talented with magic, but if my friends reacted to me as they did with Trixie, I would be so devastated," Sora could swear he saw Twilight go misty eyed, "Having friends is so wonderful, I don't ever want that to go away."

"I think I understand," Sora consoled, "You'd feel hopeless without your friends by your side," Twilight just couldn't believe Sora sometimes. There was an unprecedented amount of wisdom coming from somepony so young, "But you're thinking way to deep into this."

"Am I really?" Twilight inquired.

"You wouldn't be using your talents to show off," Sora presented his case, "You'd be using your talents to stand up your friends. There's a big difference."

"Is there?" Twilight was unconvinced, "How can you be so sure?"

"Listen, after you left, I took on Trixie in a duel," Sora put his fore-hooves behind his head as a smug smirk crossed his face, "I slammed that ego of hers."

"And... You weren't shunned?" Twilight asked.

Sora shook his head in response, "No, I wasn't. The difference between me and Trixie was that I used my talents to stand up for my friends. Trixie was only out for herself," Twilight still seemed a little unconvinced, "Listen to me, you're being way too hard on yourself lately. You're friends aren't going to abandon you. You're nothing like Gilda or Trixie."

Twilight could still clearly remember Sora shouting at her the over day. It was a moment she would never forget for a long while, perhaps even the rest of her life. Twilight considered what Sora said. If what he was saying was true, then her worries were unfounded. Then again, she hadn't seen Sora face off against Trixie. He could be just trying to make her feel better.

"I need some time to think about this," She gave her answer, and Sora accepted it.

"Alright, just remember that I'm here if you need someone to talk to," Sora left with those parting words. Twilight trusted Sora, but there was still no reason for her to challenge Trixie. Twilight, in her deep contemplation, took notice of Spike with an expectant grin.

"Spike," She rolled in a warning voice.

"C'mon, Twilight," Spike pleaded, "Any one of those tricks we practiced would be enough to show up Trixie!"

"Spike, I'm not going to take the chance," Twilight brought her focus back to her book, "I don't want to seen as a bragger," To illustrate her point that the conversation was over, Twilight conjured an open door in front of Spike and slammed it closed.

"But you're the best!" He made one last ditch effort to convince her.

"Spike, I said no!" Mission failed.

With Twilight's decline, Spike let out a sigh of defeat, "If that's the way you want to be, then fine," He slammed the door shut and walked out the front door.

—

Later in the evening, Spike had spent his time at Rarity's to help her fix her mane. It was a long and time consuming process, but Rarity's mane was back to it's elegant self. With that done, Spike made his way back to the library. Despite spending time with his precious Rarity, Spike was still in a dour mood, _Why won't Twilight show how amazing she is? I hate when she overthinks something."_ Then Snips and Snails collided into Spike, sending the three of them sprawling on the ground.

"What are you two doing?" The drake wanted to know what the rush was.

"Can't talk now!"

"Got a major problem!"

"Major?" Spike got his answer when he turned around to see the 'major problem.' His heart almost stopped beating entirely. With his little legs, Spike hurried back to the library as fast as he could, "Twilight!"

The two dolts went in the opposite direction, "Trixie!"

Trixie was fuming inside her wagon. She had been like this ever since her humiliation at Sora's hooves that afternoon.

"Just who was that pegasus anyway?" What frustrated her even further was that she never learned the identity of that pony, thereby she couldn't curse his name, "How dare he humiliate me. I'll show him. Nopony messes with The Great and Powerful Trixie!" A hash knocking at her door brought forth a high pitched screech of surprise from the show pony. Grumbling to herself, Trixie opened her door to find a scared Snips and Snails, "Oh great... What do you two want?"

"We— We have a— a tiny problem," Snips trepidatiously replied.

"Actually, it's a big one," Snails dopily corrected

"What is so important that you cannot wait until morning to disturb Trixie?" She received her answer when a loud and guttural roar demanded her attention. She shifted her attention and felt her heart stop.

Meanwhile, Sora was lying atop a cloud, thinking back to his recent experiences with Twilight. He wanted to find some way to cheer her up. Maybe he could convince Pinkie to throw Twilight a surprise party to make her feel better. The guttural roar brought Sora out off his thoughts. He stood up straight to find a terrifying sight. It was an enormous bear, easily larger than any structure in Ponyville. It was blue and translucent in appearance, stars covering it's body. It was an ursa major, and it was staring down Trixie. She only managed to just escape the beast's paw as it slammed down on the show mare's wagon.

"Great and Powerful Trixie, you've got to vanquish the ursa," Snips pleaded.

"Yeah, vanquish so we can watch," Snails agreed.

"It took a lot of trouble to get that thing here," Snips said.

"Wait, you brought this here?!" Trixie screamed. could feel her sanity snap at that very moment, "Are you out of your little pony minds?!"

"But, you're The Great and Powerful Trixie," Snips argued.

"Yeah, remember? You defeated an ursa major," Snails repeated.

"No I can't!" Trixie hysterically stated, effectively blowing Snips and Sails' minds, "Nopony can defeat an ursa major! I just made that story up to make me look good!"

The ursa raised it's front paw. The looming size of the beast petrified Trixie in fear. She curled up into a ball as the paw flew downwards. Instead of felling the weight of a giant monster crush her, Trixie instead heard the grunts of a stallion exerting himself. She trepidatiously opened her eyes to find an astonishing sight. The thing holding back the ursa's paw was Sora. Flying in the air, he held both his hooves in front of him, his keyblade between him and the beast's paw. The ursa looked utterly baffled, wondering what could be resisting it's paw. With a great thrust of force, Sora pushed the paw back, thereby making the ursa major stumble a few paces.

Sora stared down the creature as it regained it's footing and eyed the caramel pegasus with distain. In a rapid motion, Sora flew around the creature, firing salvo of magic spells at the ursa. With each spell, the creature flinched back, yet it seemed to mostly withstand the assault. Every so often, Sora would zoom forward

Trixie, Snips and Snails watched this display with slacked jaws. As Sora continued his attack, more ponies exited their doors to bear witness to this spectacle.

"Wow," Snails drolled, "That guy's way cooler than Trixie," She heard that, and she suddenly grew more resentful towards the caramel pegasus. Speaking of, Sora flew high above the ursa and slammed his keyblade down on it's head, the force of the strike bringing the beast down on it's stomach. This action in turn created a small tremor that was felt throughout the town.

Twilight then rushed onto the scene with Spike close by, "Oh my goodness!" She stated, "What's going on here?"

"We brought an ursa major to town," Snips admitted.

"What?!" Twilight screeched, _How can anypony be that stupid?!"_

"Yeah, but check it out," Snails pointed towards Sora, who was launching a salvo of fireballs at the creature, "That key guy is kicking it's butt," Like a jinx, as soon as Snails said that, the ursa managed to swipe Sora away from it. Sora skidded along the dirt roads of Ponyville, harmed but still in fighting shape. Keyblade in his maw, he rushed forward to engage the ursa again; however, somepony blocked his way.

"Sora!" Twilight stood in front of the caramel pegasus, "Don't fight it!"

"What?!" Sora could not understand Twilight's reasoning, "What shouldn't I fight the giant monster?!"

"Just trust me!" Twilight pleaded. Twilight faced the creature as it barred it's fangs. Twilight lit up her horn in it's pink aura, channeling an immense amount of magical energy for what she had planned. From her horn conjured a row of musical notes that sung a soothing melody. As soon as the notes reached the monster's ears, the beast began growing sleepy. With great strain on her body, Twilight further increased her magical power, resulting in her horn glowing to exponential levels.

With her magic, Twilight took hold of a water tower, removed the lid to dump the tower's contents, took the tower into a barn, milked the cows inside to fill the tower with milk, put the lid back on, lift the ursa up and rock it to soothe it's mood, give it the tower filled with milk so it could drink from it like a baby bottle, and transport the creature back to it's cave in the Everfree Forest.

Once that was accomplished, Twilight allowed herself to recuperate. The citizens of Ponyville were amazed Twilight could achieve such a magical feat. Trixie in particular couldn't believe what she witnessed, a pony defeating an ursa major. With the crisis averted, the townsponies all cheered in joy. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Sora approached Twilight to personally congratulate her.

"Heavens to Betsy!" Applejack complimented, "We knew you had ability, but not that much!" Twilight turned towards her friends with a look of tremendous guilt plastered all over her face.

"I'm sorry. Please, please don't hate me," She begged. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity all looked at Twilight with bamboozled expressions.

"Why, whatever do you mean, darling?" Rarity inquired.

Twilight turned away and presented her reasoning, "Well, I know how much you all hated Trixie showing off magic, and I just thought—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rainbow interrupted, "Magic's got nothing to do with it. Trixie's just a loudmouth."

"Most unpleasant," Rarity threw in.

"All hat and no cattle," Applejack added.

"So, you don't mind my magic tricks?" Twilight looked over to Sora, who had a goofy smile on his face.

"Twilight your magic is a part of who you are," The caramel pegasus elaborated, "And we like you just the way the way you are. Like I said, there's a difference between using talents to show off and using them to stand up for your friends," Sora nudged Twilight's side, "You beat the ursa major to help your friends, not because you wanted to show off," Twilight looked over the proud faces of the citizens of Ponyville. Sora had a point, these ponies recognized that she defeated the ursa out of concern for the town and her friends.

"Yeah, I guess I didn't have anything to worry about," Twilight conceded.

"Hey Twilight," Sora addressed the purple unicorn, "How did you know what to do with the ursa major anyway?"

"After I head Trixie brag about her supposed victory, I decided to do some research," It made sense for Twilight to do that. She was a very studious pony.

"So it really was possible to beat an ursa major by yourself," Sora concluded, to which Twilight chuckled to herself.

"That wasn't an ursa major, it was a baby, an ursa minor," Twilight's revelation hit Sora like a ton of bricks.

"WHAT?!" Sora practically screeched, "I was beating up a defenseless baby?!" A tremendous overflow of guilt washed over the caramel pegasus.

"I don't know if defenseless is the right word," Twilight commented, "Listen, if you hadn't jumped in like you did, somepony might have gotten hurt, or worse," That made Sora feel a little bit better.

"Hold on," Spike interjected, "If that was an ursa minor, what's an ursa major like?"

"You don't want to know," Twilight answered simply and plainly.

"Wait?!" Trixie pushed herself through the crowd to meet the two heroes of the day, "That was just a baby?"

"Yes," Twilight answered once again, "And it wasn't exactly rampaging. It was just cranky because somepony woke it from it's nap," She leered towards Snips and Snails, who lowered their heads in shame.

"Well, you may have been able to defeat an ursa minor," Trixie stated, trying to seem as though she were still the superior pony, "But neither of you fools will have the show stopping prowess of The Great and Powerful Trixie!" The humiliated show mare dropped a smoke bomb at her hooves. The smoke dissipated to reveal that Trixie was—running away.

"Hey! Get back here!" Sora called out, moving forward to give chase, but Twilight telekinetically took hold of his tail to keep him in place.

"Just leave her be," She said with a shake of her head, "Hopefully she'll learn her lesson someday," Twilight then directed her attention to the two colts who caused this fiasco, "As for you two."

Snips and Snails lowered themselves so that they appeared to be bowing before Twilight, "Sorry we lured that ursa minor here!" Snips accepted his fate, along with Snails.

"We deserve whatever punishment you give us!" The orange colt said.

"Well, I think it's more than fitting that you clean up this mess you caused," Twilight pointed towards the wreckage that the ursa minor created, mainly Trixie's destroyed wagon. Rainbow Dash guided the two solemn colts to the debris. As the two dolts went to work, Twilight and Spike

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked.

"Back to the library," Twilight answered, "Using that much magic tired me out. Besides, I have a friendship lesson to report."

Sora smiled at the purple unicorn, she looked like she was in high spirits after this whole experience. Twilight was strong, Sora could tell. She still was grasping the basics of friendship, but she was adapting very well to her new life.


	10. Dragonshy

Ever since the ursa minor incident last week, Ponyville went back to normal fairly quickly. Twilight grew far more comfortable showcasing her magical prowess to her friends and the town of Ponyville at large. As such, Twilight began to socialize more with the townsponies. One pony who wasn't socializing more was Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was an animal caretaker first and foremost, so her typical day revolved around her providing nourishment to the critters around her cottage. She gave each creature the appropriate treat with the appropriate proportions, given with the appropriate amount of care and affection. The next animal for her to feed has her very own pet, a small white bunny named Angel. Fluttershy brought him a ripe carrot for him to snack on. The little bunny eagerly grabbed hold of his treat and proceeded to stuff his face rather quickly, something Fluttershy wasn't too keen on.

"Not too fast now, Angel Bunny. You don't wanna get a tummy ache," Hearing Fluttershy's words, Angel ceased eating and casted her an annoyed expression. In a fit of spiteful grumpiness, the little bunny expressed to her 'I'm done.' Fluttershy, surprised by Angel's actions, tried to take the diplomatic approach, "You really should eat more than that, don't you think?" The grumpy bunny refused to listen to his care taker, opting to hop out of his little shed and run off. Fluttershy, picking up the carrot with her mouth, immediately flew after him, hoping to get him to finish his treat.

"Angel, wait. It's not play time yet," Fluttershy landed in front of Angel, who stopped his hopping and turned his back to the yellow mare, "I know you want to run, but... just three more bites," Fluttershy placed the half-eaten carrot in front of Angel, but he was being stingy, "Two more bites?" She nudged it forward, "One more bite? Pretty please?" Infuriated, Angel forcefully kicked the carrot away and hopped away, leaving Fluttershy lost with what to do, "Oh Goodness," Her attention was diverted when she heard a gasp of fright from Angel, who looked up at the sky in worry.

"Are you okay?," Angel coughed, trying to garner Fluttershy's attention towards something, to minimal success, "Are you coughing because there's a carrot stuck in your throat?" Angel Bunny coughed in an even more exaggerated manner, "Because you need some water?" Angel was getting increasingly more frustrated so he coughed very loudly while pointing up at the sky. She did so, letting out a gasp at what she saw, a large plum of black smoke. She pivoted her head to see that the smoke reached up to Ponyville, and it was growing quickly.

"Because of that giant cloud of scary black smoke?" Fluttershy felt a carrot hit the back of her head. She turned around to find Angel, crossing his arms and glaring at Fluttershy, "'I'll take that as a... yes."

—

Fluttershy knew she needed to rush into town and warn ponies, so she gently flew to the nearby park and tried to get other ponies' attention.

"Excuse me," She attempted to get the attention of two ponies walking down the path, but they paid Fluttershy no mind. These ponies were so ignorant to the black doom above them, going about their lives without a care in the world. A few meters away, Fluttershy saw Sora in front of an audience of foals. He had his keyblade in hoof as he relayed to his audience a story. Of course, Sora was strong and brave, he could probably do something about the smoke.

"That was when Nightmare Moon summoned a bunch of dark monsters into Town Hall," Sora dramatized. The foals listened intently to his words with broad smiles on their faces. Fluttershy carefully approached Sora.

"Hello... Sora," She mumbled, unsure how to address him. It felt wrong to interrupt him, but at the same time he was oblivious to the encroaching smoke. Fluttershy tried to take it upon herself to warn him.

"There had to have been more than two dozen of them," Sora continued to relay his tale to the eager children, "I knew I had to do something, so I summoned my keyblade and went to work!" He performed a loose re-enactment of his fight inside Town Hall, slashing his keyblade to simulate that he was fighting the Heartless.

"Th-there's a big plum of smoke and—and where there's smoke, there's a fire..." Fluttershy meekly tried to grab Sora's attention, but he failed to notice, or hear, her. The foals, payed Fluttershy no mind, they were too busy focusing their attention on Sora.

"It was something like that," Sora said once he finished his display.

"Wow!" Chimed a filly, "You're super cool!" Sora bashfully rubbed the back of his head in appreciation.

"Sora, please listen," Fluttershy begged, quietly, "This is an emergency," Fluttershy could almost feel her throat swell up. Why wouldn't Sora talk to her. Why couldn't she get Sora to talk to her?

"Everypony listen up!" Somepony commanded. Everypony stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to Twilight, who stood on the bridge that crossed over the park's river, "This is a state of emergency. Smoke is covering all of Equestria!"

"What?!" Sora took a look up at the sky, finding the smoke pluming up above, "That's not good," The ponies of the park all shuddered in fear, wondering what this meant. The foals who were listening to Sora's story huddled around the caramel pegasus, hoping that he could protect them.

"That's what I've been trying to say," Fluttershy weakly pointed out, not that anyone heard her.

"Don't worry," Twilight resumed her announcement, "I've just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that the source of the smoke is not a fire."

Fluttershy felt her heart ease up after hearing this news, "Oh, thank goodness."

"It's coming from a dragon!" Twilight announced, and Fluttershy's heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

"D-d-d—Dragon!" She screeched, loud enough for Sora to hear.

"Oh. Hey Fluttershy," Sora greeted, "How long were you standing there?"

—

"What's a dragon doing all the way over here?" Asked Sora. He and the Element bearers were having a meeting in the library to discuss what should be done about the dragon. Well, Fluttershy was off in the corner, trying not to be noticed.

"He's sleeping," Twilight gave her answer, to which the other ponies all gaped in disbelief, "Yes, I'm serious... He's taking a nap high up in the mountains. According to Princess Celestia, his snoring is what's causing all this smoke."

"Wow, he should get that checked out," Pinkie commented.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Sora questioned.

"We're gonna go up to that dragon and kick it's butt!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, punching and kicking the air in excitement.

"We're going to encourage him to sleep somewhere else," Twilight stressed, glaring at Rainbow, "Princess Celestia has given us this mission. If we fail, smoke will cover Equestria for the next hundred years!"

"That's not good," Sora said. Fluttershy in particular was shaking like a leaf in the blistering wind.

"This is going to be a long journey," Twilight addressed her friends, "Quickly pack whatever provisions you need and meet at the base of the mountain in less than an hour!"

"Right!" Sora affirmed, "We're more than up to the task!" The mares, sans Fluttershy, all nodded their heads in affirmation, "Let's do this!"

"Um... actually," Fluttershy muttered, but the others had already dispersed by the time she opened her lips. She was left alone in the room as the others prepared for the journey. With no one to talk to, Fluttershy left the library to prepare. Although, prepare is really a strong word in this case.

The seven ponies all reconvened outside the library. The seven ponies wore their saddlebags, filled with whatever provisions that would be necessary, meaning that Pinkie Pie's bags were filled with party supplies. In the distance was the mountain that the dragon had taken up residence. Enveloping the snow-peaked top was a ring of smoke that was releasing plums in random directions. There was a long climb ahead.

"Sure looks mighty cold up there," Mussed Applejack, taking note of the snow on the mountain's peak.

"Luckily for me, I came prepared," Rarity spoke, pulling out a pink stripped scarf from her saddlebags, wrapping the cute piece of clothing around her neck.

"Ohhh, pretty!" Pinkie Pie complimented, but Applejack was far less impressed.

"Sure, that'll keep ya warm," Applejack droned sarcastically, noting how little coverage it provided to Rarity's body.

"Alright," Twilight announced, "We need to keep a steady pace if we want to reach the top of the mountain in no time at all."

"We have to climb up that enormous mountain?" Sora complained.

"We need to if we're going to convince the dragon to sleep elsewhere," Twilight reiterated, unfurling a map that detailed the mountain's layout. Sora was feeling a severe case of deja-vu, and that feeling was not distilling much confidence in this idea. Fluttershy also did not have much confidence, not in the plan but in herself. With her nerves threatening to make her collapse, the yellow pegasus approached Twilight.

"Um, excuse me, Twilight? I know you're busy, but..." She practically whispered.

Twilight couldn't hear Fluttershy, the purple unicorn looked at her map to plan the fastest and safest route, "Uh-huh. Well, we could go this way."

"But if I could just have a second..." Fluttershy insisted, meekly and quietly.

"Uh-huh. No, we want to avoid that," Twilight clearly was unaware that Fluttershy was speaking to her. Regardless, the pegasus continued to speak, in a way.

"So, um, I was thinking that, um, maybe I should just stay here in Ponyville," Fluttershy held on to hope that Twilight would allow this, but the former's tone of voice was not helping much.

"Uh-huh," Twilight absentmindedly said, not understanding what the yellow mare was asking.

"Oh! Good," Fluttershy expressed her relief at an optimal hearing level, "I'll stay here and—" Twilight pulled herself away from her map.

"Wait! You have to come!" Twilight magically grabbed hold of Fluttershy's hooves to keep the shy mare in place, much to her displeasure, "Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy."

Fluttershy winced. Stuttering, she tried to come up with an excuse, "B-but I... I can't go. Who will feed my animals?"

"Oh, don't worry about your little animal friends," Twilight assured, deflating Fluttershy's spirits, "Spike's looking after them," The yellow mare slumped, there went that excuse to stay behind. She did not believe she should be partaking in this journey, but she simply could not formulate the words. Twilight trotted forward, leaving Fluttershy to her worries.

With her plan of ascent thought out, Twilight pocketed the map in her saddlebags. As she did that, a certain rainbow pony approached Twilight.

"Hey, Twilight," Rainbow Dash whispered in Twilight's ear, "Do you really think it's a good idea to bring Fluttershy along?"

"I know it might seem strange," Twilight responded, "But I have full confidence that Fluttershy's skills will be invaluable."

"Twilight... Fluttershy is afraid of her own shadow," Twilight turned her attention to Fluttershy. As if fate was on Rainbow's side, the yellow mare shrieked in fright and hid in a bush when she casted a glance at her shadow.

"Alright, everypony, let's move out!" With Twilight's order, six ponies trotted forward towards the source of their current problem. Fluttershy emerged from her bush and stayed in place. The others already made a decent headway while the yellow mare was rooted to the ground.

"Should I just stay here..?" She trailed off. It would be easy, maybe the others would not notice she was missing.

"Hey, Fluttershy, you coming?" Spoke Sora, causing her to flip in the air in fright and fall on her back, "Oh, sorry about that," He sheepishly apologized. When he was galloping with the group, Sora noticed that Fluttershy was not running with them, so he went back to check on her.

"S-s-sora," Fluttershy stammered, rolling onto her hooves.

"What are you doing staying here, Fluttershy?" Sora said, giving her an encouraging smile, "We have a job to do," Fluttershy knew that, it was just a job that made her nerves get the better of her.

"I know, i-it's just..." She stood up straight as she stammered up an excuse.

"No excuses," Sora said, not in a stern or annoyed sense but in a spirited and friendly sense, "Let's go!" He grabbed hold of her hoof and pulled her to the rest of the group. Fluttershy could only silently protest as her other three hooves scrapped against the dirt.

—

Thus the seven ponies begun their journey. It took very little time before they reached the base of the mountain. Up ahead was a steep and rocky incline dotted with dead trees in front of the group. This was their first step in ascending the mountain was to climb up this incline to more stable ground. A loud and deep roar reverberated across the area, freezing the ponies in their tracks. Fluttershy, being the extra jumpy one, hid behind Sora.

"What was that?" Rainbow asked out of curiosity (not out of fear).

"That was the sound of a dragon snoring," Twilight concluded, gazing up at the peak high above.

"I-it's so high up..." Fluttershy noted. Sora turned to the yellow mare hiding behind him.

"Yeah, mountains are usually pretty tall," He said teasingly.

With that, the ponies began to climb the steep incline, with the pegasi flying above. Along the way, Rarity decided to spark a conversation.

"You know, I hear the only thing that sparkles more gorgeously than a dragon's scales are the jewels they hoard to build their nests," She brought up, then suddenly she became excited, "Ooo, maybe I can convince him to part with a few!"

"You really think ya can convince a dragon to give ya jewelry," Applejack deadpanned. Then next to Rarity appeared Pinkie Pie, who carried an intimidating expression that only served to make her look more goofy.

"Welcome to my cave, Rarity, care for a diamond?" Pinkie spoke in an exaggerated deep and scratchy voice. The utter ridiculousness of Pinkie's imitation brought forward a wave of laughter from her friends.

"This is no laughing matter!" Twilight barged in the conversation, wanting everypony to stay on track, "Fluttershy, you're the expert on wild creatures. What do you think the dragon will be like?" The purple unicorn expected an answer, but she was met with silence, "Fluttershy?" Twilight looked over her group, yet the presence of Fluttershy was non-existent. She stopped her advancement up the incline, as did everypony else, to look for the animal caretaker. Turns out she was still at the bottom of the incline. She had not climbed, or flew, an inch.

"Hey!" Sora called out to Fluttershy, startling her a little bit, "You coming or not?" She looked to the ground and fiddled with her hooves.

"Maybe she's waiting for an invitation!" Pinkie Pie suggested, earning her a number of looks from the others, "Good thing I packed an invitation in my bags!" Pinkie opened up her saddlebags, bringing forth an explosion of confetti and a loud bang sound.

"Ya know, Fluttershy, you have wings..." Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"Come on Fluttershy!" Pinkie shouted in encouragement, "Flap them wings, girl!"

Knowing that she really had no excuse not to, Fluttershy flapped her wings and slowly hovered up to the group. As she flew up, Sora noticed something odd. One of the rotted trees plastered on the incline had something strange hanging on it's branches. They looked like bats, but why would bats be out here? Sora received a shock when one of the creatures unfurled it's wings, revealing it's glowing yellow eyes.

"Heartless!" Sora yelled. Just hearing Sora say that word out loud was enough to make her wings stiffly fold back, sending her tumbling down the incline. Summoning his keyblade, Sora darted towards the bat-like heartless, slashing one into black mist.

There were more of these bat heartless scattered around the trees, and they began to swarm the group. Rainbow Dash wasted no time springing into action, kicking away any heartless that came near her. The ground based ponies, through sheer shock at seeing the Heartless, slid down the incline back to their starting position. The bat heartless continued to swarm around the fighting pegasi, but Sora and Rainbow Dash would easily dodge their attacks.

Back at the bottom of the mountain, a new type of Heartless appeared to greet the ponies. It's build was round, with stubby legs and thin bat wings. It's jagged mouth separated it's head from the rest of it's body. It's head had the same glowing yellow eyes, as well as bright orange tendrils that appeared to resemble flames. The heartless bobbed and bounced around the field as the mares reacquainted their balance.

Applejack immediately charged forward and delivered a swift apple buck to the heartless, sending it tumbling away. The monster managed to recover fairly quickly. In retaliation, the creature launched a fireball directly at Applejack, who would've experienced third degree burns had Twilight not created a magical shield around the farm mare.

Sora and Rainbow Dash, after dispatching the small fry, went after the bigger threat. The mare kicked the heartless to the Stallion, who swiped it into the ground. After it shook off it's injuries, the monster shook in rage, enveloping itself in flames.

"Look out!" Sora warned. The heartless flew around the battlefield like an out of control missile, launching fireballs any which way. The mares scattered away to avoid the salvo of flames. Rainbow Dash was unlucky enough to have her tail catch on fire. The cyan mare panicked and landed on the ground, using her hooves to stamp out the flame. She was successful in doing so, leaving the tip of her tail scorched and singed. The heartless continued to blitz through the air, contorted in a hazy inferno, until Sora cut it's rampage short with a well aimed blizzard spell, stopping it in it's tracks. Gravity forced the heartless to fall down, but a downwards slash from Sora's keyblade ended the monster's existence. After all was said and done, Sora surveyed the field, finding no other stragglers.

"I think that's the last of them," Sora said, not seeing any more Heartless in the general vicinity.

"What were they doing here?!" Twilight shouted hysterically, "We haven't seen them since the Nightmare Moon incident weeks ago!" It did seem strange that the Heartless would reappear at this point in time. What was the cause?

"If the Heartless are here, it can't be good news," Sora stated with complete and utter certainty. He spoke as if he knew what he said was fact. Twilight considered the possibilities, but only one thing was coming to mind.

"Wait a minute," Twilight said, "Do you think the Heartless are here because of the smoke?" It was a strange theory, but the idea was enough to send over a wave of worry, "And if they're attracted to the smoke, that would lead them to the dragon."

"That would mean, the Heartless would try to turn the dragon into one of them!" Sora finished, horrified of the implications.

"This is even worse than I realized," Twilight said, an engrossing fear gripping her very being. Normal Heartless were already a threat, a dragon Heartless would spell utter disaster, "We have to get to the top of the mountain before it's too late!"

"Uh, Twilight," Applejack caught the unicorn's attention, "We got a bit of a problem," The farm mare pointed down to a shaking mare curled up into ball and was rocking back and forth, Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight spoke, but the yellow mare didn't respond, she just stared off into space, "Oh dear..."

"Told you she was going to slow us down," Rainbow whispered to Twilight, who glared at Rainbow Dash for that comment. Sora looked at this scene and shrugged

"It's fine. I'll just carry her until she feels better," Sora said nonchalantly. The mares all gaped at Sora when he made his announcement. Even Fluttershy blinked profusely hearing Sora say that, "What? I'm only being nice," With that, Sora flew up to Fluttershy and picked up the curled up mare in his fore-hooves. She stopped shaking but now she was blushing a bright red crimson.

Rarity giggled after seeing Sora perform such an action, "And they say that chivalry is dead."

—

The path up the mountain was a long and arduous one. Fluttershy eventually calmed down enough to walk on her own again, but her blush still lingered for quite a while. There were a few Heartless encounters but the ponies were able to dispatch the monsters with relative ease. Later on, the group found themselves facing a steep gap in their decided path. It took some convincing, but Fluttershy did jump the gap like the others had. It was like Pinkie said, just a simple hop, skip and a jump—over a two foot gap. After that little escapade, the seven ponies found themselves perpendicular with a jagged cliff.

"Let's keep quiet here," Twilight warned in hushed whispers as she glanced at her map, "According to this map, this area is an avalanche zone. The tiniest peep could cause a rock slide, so keep it quiet."

Twilight's friends took her warning to heart, nodding their heads in understanding rather than speaking their acknowledgment. With that, the seven friends carefully The mere mention of the word avalanche brought a shiver to Fluttershy's spine—and every other part of her body. She grew highly conscious of whatever could start an avalanche.

Fluttershy, taking up the rear, felt as though something was close by. She darted her eyes back and forth to discern what she was sensing. She saw it, a faint splotch of black on the ground, and this splotch was moving. Fluttershy stopped trotting as the thing emerged from it's cover, a single solitary Shadow. With the threat of an ambush, Fluttershy did the only thing she thought she could do, scream.

"HEARTLEEEEEEEESS!"

The others all stopped in their tracks, their fur standing on end in surprise hearing Fluttershy's screech. The atmosphere around the area grew more tense, even the Shadow stood still in anticipation. Then it happened. The ground beneath them rumbled, indicating that something was heading their way. Something was indeed heading their way, and it was coming from up above.

"Avalanche!" Twilight yelled, "Run!" By the time the ponies started running, numerous boulders began impacting on the floor around them. One boulder landed upon the hapless Shadow, crushing it. The seven ponies desperately attempted to flee the scene, dodging and weaving any boulders that might crush them. The more boulder that impacted the ground, the more dust was thrown into the air, impairing the groups vision. As she ran, Twilight only looked directly in front of her. Doing this, she failed to notice, the massive boulder looming over her. She only noticed until the shadow of the massive rock was directly above her. Twilight glanced above her, where her eyes nearly bulged out her head in horror. It was too late for her to dodge out of the way. Thankfully for Twilight, Sora dashed to her side to push her out of the boulder's radius of impact. Once the boulder landed, the area was consumed with a massive cloud of dust, knocking over the ponies. After the worst of the rockslide passed, the group remained where they were, experiencing high coughing fits. The dust settled at long last. Thankfully, everypony managed to make it out unscathed. But now there was a large mound of dirt and rocks in front of their path.

"Is everyone okay?" Sora asked his friends. The mares lethargically reacquainted themselves, their coats and manes covered in dust.

"I'm fine," Twilight stood up and dusted herself off, then she gave Sora a grateful smile, "Thanks to you," That was another one she owed him.

"Ugh, this is a disaster?" Rarity dramatized, her fabulous scarf was caked in dust, "Luckily for me, I brought a spare," Rarity discarded her ruined scarf and replaced it with an identical one from her saddlebags, "Oh, did I bring the tiara that matches?"

"Don't we have more important things to worry about?" Applejack sarcastically questioned.

"I'm sorry everpony," Spoke Fluttershy, who was laying on the ground in a slump.

"Don't worry about it, Fluttershy," Sora brushed off, but it did little to help her mood, "At least we weren't flung off the mountain."

"Right, we're still here," Twilight affirmed, "All we need to do is... climb this pile of rubble," She sighed.

—

It took much effort, but the group managed to climb over the pile that blocked their way. Now they were even closer to their target.

"Say, Twilight," Rainbow whispered, "Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy along?" Twilight was getting extremely annoyed with Rainbow Dash's negativity today, almost to the point where she wanted to deck her in the back of the head, but there was pressing issue at hoof.

"We're about to find out," Twilight whispered back, then she announced in a normal tone of voice, "We're here!" They at last reached their destination. Up ahead was a large cave, from it's depths did smoke exhale, "Stay here, I need to check something."

Twilight dared to trot forward and peek inside the cave, taking care to cover her mouth so that she does not breath in the smoke. To her relief, the dragon looked like a regular dragon, red scales, long and sharp spines, enormous size, laying on a large pile of treasure. Nothing about the dragon screamed 'Heartless' to Twilight, at least based on her limited experience. With that information on hoof, the purple unicorn trotted back to the group.

"Good news," Twilight relayed, "I doesn't seem like the Heartless have converted the dragon," With that news, the ponies all breathed a sigh of relief, "Alright, Fluttershy and I will go inside and convince him to leave."

"And what happens when that fails?" Rainbow Dash asked, "What do the rest of us do?"

"If it comes to that," Twilight put extra emphasis on 'if,' "Then we'll have no choice but to fight him off. If it does come to that, which it shouldn't, here's what we do. Pinkie Pie and Rarity will create a distraction while Sora, Rainbow and Applejack engage with the creature. Also, you'll all stay out here in case any Heartless arrive at this location."

"You can count on us, Twilight," Sora saluted the purple unicorn. The others, sans Fluttershy, did the same.

"Okay then, we're going in. Fluttershy, what is the best way to wake up a sleeping dragon without upsetting him?" Twilight received no answer. She turned her attention over to the animal caretaker frozen in place, her legs wobbling, "Fluttershy? Come on!" Twilight, getting fed up with Fluttershy's silence, decided to push her to the cave. Of course, Fluttershy was digging her hooves in the ground, "We have to do this! Now!" The others joined in with pushing the yellow mare toward the smoke filled cavern, "Every second longer that dragon sleeps is another acre of Equestria that is covered in smoke," The ponies pushing Fluttershy all tripped over each other, halting their advance. As they got up, the yellow mare decided to speak.

"I-I-I can't go in the cave," With that, the others fell onto the floor in an exhaustive heap.

"Oh, great. She's scared of caves now, too," Rainbow Dash exasperated.

"I'm not scared of caves," Fluttershy clarified "I'm scared of..." She mumbled something under her breath.

"What's that, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"I'm scared of..." Once again, another round of mumbling nopony could distinguish.

"What?" Twilight prodded.

"I'm scared of dragons!" Fluttershy finally admitted. As if fate wanted to torture poor Fluttershy, the dragon let out a loud snore, scaring the poor pegasus into a shaky ball.

"But Fluttershy. You have a wonderful talent dealing with all kinds of animals," Twilight reasoned.

"Yes, because they're not dragons," Fluttershy reasoned back.

"You walked up to a ferocious manticore like it was nothing," Sora reminded her.

"Yes, because he wasn't a dragon," Fluttershy repeated.

"Spike is a dragon," Pinkie Pie pointed out, "You're not scared of him."

"Yes, because he's not a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown-up dragon!" Fluttershy reasoned. Just then, the dragon let out another loud snore, bellowing a cascade of smoke that flew out of the cave. Fluttershy squeaked in fright and covered her head with her fore-hooves.

"But, if you're so afraid of dragons, why didn't you say something before we came all the way up here?" Twilight inquired.

"I was afraid to," Fluttershy admitted, making Rainbow Dash moan in annoyance. Sora decided to help ease Fluttershy's fears.

"Look Fluttershy, all of us are scared of that dragon," Sora said with a little smile.

"I'm not!" Rainbow Dash put on a brave face and struck a confident pose.

"All of us are scared of that dragon," Sora casted an glare towards Rainbow's direction, making sure he put extra emphasis on 'all,' "But we've got a job to do. You don't have anything to worry about, you have us to help you. We know you can do this!" Sora put on his best encouraging smile. Fluttershy stood up and surveyed the looks of encouragement her friends were giving her. All of this attention she was getting felt like a two ton weight sitting on her back. With all this pressure, Fluttershy burst into tears. Sora and the mares gasped in shock seeing this unfold before them.

"I'm sorry, I just can't," With that, Fluttershy ran off, crying all the way as her friends could only watch in dismay. Sora, however, was not content allowing Fluttershy to run away in despair. The caramel pegasus galloped after her.

"Sora," Twilight called out, getting him to stop and turn his head to the group, "What are you doing? What about the dragon?!"

"I'm going to talk to my friend!" Sora stated with pure conviction. He galloped away, all with the intent to locate Fluttershy.

"Fine! Whatever!" Rainbow Dash spat, crossing her hooves in contempt, "We can take out that dragon ourselves!"

"Oh, Fluttershy..." Twilight trailed off, feeling a pit in her stomach. As much as she wanted to chase after the two pegasi, there was a job to be done. One thing was for sure, Twilight was going to have a long talk with Rainbow Dash after this was all over.

—

"Fluttershy! Where are you?!"

Sora searched through the jagged formations, knowing the Fluttershy was somewhere. Thankfully for Sora, he was able to pick up the sounds of soft sobbing. Using his ears to guide him, the caramel pegasus found Fluttershy past a small formation of rock. The animal caretaker lay on the cold, hard ground, tears falling freely from her eyes.

"Fluttershy!" Sora called out, running up to the yellow mare as she looked up to face the other pegasus.

"Sora? What are you doing here?" Fluttershy asked through her tears. Sora knelt down so that he was at eye level with the yellow mare.

"I wanted to check on you," Sora answered. Fluttershy shook her head, figuring what Sora was going to say to her.

"You're not changing my mind, Sora," Fluttershy leaked more tears from her eyes, "I'm not going over there where the dragon is."

"I wasn't going to try and change your mind," Sora softly stated, "I just needed to know that you were okay," Fluttershy felt a lump in her throat, she felt completely undeserving of such a gesture.

"I'm sorry, Sora," Fluttershy broke her gaze with him, "I'm no use."

"Don't talk like that," Sora firmly said, "Don't you ever think that you're useless."

"I've just been slowing everypony down lately," She whimpered.

"Fluttershy," Sora spoke softly, bringing the mare's teal soaked eyes towards him, "Twilight brought you along on this quest because she believes in you to help stop this smoke problem."

"Well she was wrong!" Fluttershy sobbed, "I'm too scared. I should've never come here! I'm not like you! I'm not brave!"

"What do you mean?" Sora questioned.

"You're not scared of anything," Fluttershy whimpered, "Not the dragon, the Heartless, anything!" Sora considered what Fluttershy stated. That was what she thought was true; however, it was anything but.

"Well, that's where you're wrong," Sora responded, looking downcast, "You have no idea how scared I can get."

"What are you talking about?" Fluttershy simply could not picture a pony like Sora being afraid of anything, considering all the danger he has thrust himself into, "You're so brave. What could you possibly be scared of?"

"The Heartless," Sora shared, closing his eyes, "The Heartless scare me more than anything else," His face contorted into a pained expression, "I've seen just how dangerous they really are, more than you could ever know," Fluttershy was beside herself. Sora was afraid of the Heartless? How could that be? He was always so confident whenever he did battle with them.

"But if you're really that scared, why would you even fight the Heartless in the first place?" To that, Sora raised his head to look Fluttershy in the eye, his solemn look replaced with an air of determination.

"Because I know that I have to stop them," He answered, "I'm one of the Keyblade's chosen," To give a visual aid, Sora summoned his keyblade under his hooves, "I have the power to stop the Heartless in their tracks, so I do just that. Let me tell you, the Heartless have caused me alot of pain ever since I got my keyblade, but I don't let that stop me from fighting them. I know what kind of damage they do, so I make it a priority to stop them from causing any harm," Fluttershy took in Sora's words. From the way he was talking, he sounded like he was serious. This new revelation about Sora brought forth so much curiosity in Fluttershy

"And you're scared of the dragon too?" She inquired.

"Yeah, I told you so, didn't I?" Sora answered playfully. He did indeed say that, he even said that all of them were scared of the dragon. Fluttershy thought he was trying to make her feel better. Was he really afraid of the dragon? "Fluttershy, being brave doesn't mean not being afraid. It's about facing danger despite how scary it is," Fluttershy thought critically about Sora's explanation. From his tone of voice, it sounded like he knew what he was talking about, "Ya know, you just might be braver than you think," Sora added with a genuine smile.

Fluttershy gasped in surprise hearing him say that, "Really? How?"

"You helped out during the whole Nightmare Moon thing, didn't you?" Sora asked. It was true. Even though Fluttershy was scared out of her wits, she did help when Nightmare Moon was free from her prison.

Fluttershy considered what Sora told her. Was there really some bravery within her? Unfortunately, the two pegasi's conversation was cut short when a guttural and loud roar echoed throughout the mountain. Fluttershy shrunk in fright, as to be expected. Sora turned to where he heard the noise, gasping in shock after he had done so.

Earlier, after Sora left, the mares tried to convince the dragon to leave. Twilight attempted a diplomatic approach, but her words fell on deaf ears as the dragon continued to sleep. Rarity attempted to flatter the dragon into leaving, and it almost worked. However, he disregarded her after she attempted to take some of his treasure. Now it was Pinkie Pie's turn to try something.

"Pinkie Pie, what in tarnation...?" Pinkie dressed herself in a green box tied with a yellow bow, swimming flippers, red sunglasses, a blue headband, and bollons tied to her body.

"Darling, you look ridiculous," Rarity stated.

"Exactly!" Pinkie took no offense to Rarity's psuedo-insult, "Sharing a laugh is a sure-fire way to get someone on your side!" With that, Pinkie went inside the cave.

"Hi!" She greeted, following that were the sounds of party poppers, and immediately following that was the sound of something getting crumpled up. Pinkie Pie exited soon after, wobbling on her hooves, her costume crushed and wrinkled, "Apparently he doesn't like laughing... or sharing," At that point, Rainbow Dash threw up her hoofs in exasperation.

"All right, that's it," She declared, "We tried persuasion, charm," Rainbow paused as she glanced over Pinkie, unsure what to call what she attempted, "And whatever it is Pinkie Pie does. It's time to stop wasting time! I'm going in!"

"Rainbow Dash, stop!" Warned Twilight. Rainbow Dash ignored the warning and bolted into the cave.

"Hey, you! Get out!" Rainbow delivered a swift kick to the dragon's snout. With that quick jolt, the beast was well awake, and he was not happy. All of Rainbow's bravado evaporated under the intense presence of the dragon, "Uh... please?" She pathetically added. The dragon let out a loud and aggressive roar. The force of the creature's roar was enough to blast Rainbow out of the cave, where she collided with the other mares like a bowling ball striking a clump of pins.

It was that roar that Sora and Fluttershy heard. Looking over back to where the cave was, Sora saw the dragon exit his cave, he looked angry. The caramel pegasus felt a

"Oh no! The girls!" Sora yelled, rushing towards the scene. Fluttershy glance towards where Sora was headed and she felt her heart stop. That dragon was even bigger than she imagined, and he looked like he was about to attack.

The mares were dizzy after the impact of the rainbow one. Now they had to deal with an angry dragon on top of splitting headaches. Taking in a deep breath, the dragon released a blast of smoke from his mouth. The hazardous billowing substance threw the mares into a coughing fit, the force of the blast knocking them backwards. This left them sprawled on the floor in a delirious state.

The dragon roared to the heavens, preparing another attack. His focus was hindered when a blast of ice impacted his torso, leaving behind a large imprint of frost.

"Hey, you!" Sora called out with his keyblade brandished, flying to where he was eye level with the dragon, "Nobody hurts my friends!" Sora fired another blizzard spell, this time impacting the dragon's head. The beast flinched back as Sora dived in and struck the dragon's snout. The reptile recovered and swiped his claw at Sora, who expertly weaved between the sharp talons and swiped at the creature's head again.

Fluttershy approached the scene with great trepidation. Hiding behind a big rock, she peaked her head out to witness the battle. Glancing down, she noticed the mares sprawled out on the floor, shocking the yellow mare. Seeing her friends in this stateFluttershy felt something stir inside her. Some sort of fire ignited itself in her heart seeing her friends threatened.

"How dare you..." She breathed. Her brow furrowed and her teeth gnashed HOW DARE YOU!" Hearing that yell, the dragon and Sora stoped their battle and glanced over to the yellow mare as she flew over to the former, "Listen here, mister! Just because you're big doesn't mean you get to be a bully!" She landed atop his snout. Bafflingly, the massive reptile shrunk under Fluttershy's intensive gaze, "You may have huge teeth, and sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breathe fire. But you do not—I repeat—you do not! Hurt! My! Friends! You got that?!" Sora couldn't believe what he was seeing. The calm and reserved Fluttershy was really intimidating a dragon. The other mares down below had their jaws hanging witnessing this. After a long while of tense silence, the dragon responded.

"But that rainbow jerk kicked me," He spoke in a deep and booming voice. Getting over his shock, Sora decided to help Fluttershy teach this dragon a lesson.

"And that made it okay to attack everyone?" Sora scolded, landing atop the dragon's snout next to Fluttershy, "You might be bigger than her, but that doesn't give you the right to bully her or the others!"

"Besides, you should also know better than to take a nap where your snoring can become a health hazard to other creatures," Fluttershy continued to apply the pressure.

"But I—"

"Don't try to make excuses for yourself!" Sora snapped, "What do you have to say for yourself?! Well?! Answer me!" The dragon's eyes began to grow misty. He raised his snout upward, forcing Sora and Fluttershy to use their wings to float in the air. Under all of this pressure, the beast burst into tears, burying his face under his claws.

"Hey," Sora weakly, "Don't cry..." Sora felt terrible seeing this happen. He never wanted to make anyone cry. Thankfully, Fluttershy was there to console the weeping creature.

"There, there," She soothed the distressed lizzard, rubbing his temples, "No need to cry. You're not a bad dragon, you just made a bad decision. You just need to find a new place to sleep where you wont hurt anypony. That's all," The dragon wiped away his tears and rearranged his composure.

"I'm really sorry about all this," He apologized, "I've just been cranky because I haven't gotten any sleep. These weird black creatures kept barging into my cave. No matter how many times I drove them off, they just kept coming."

"Oh, mister dragon," Sora addressed the large reptile, "Those things were attracted to the smoke you were snoring. I don't think the'll leave you alone if smoke keeps coming out your mouth."

"Is that so?" The dragon asked. Sora and Fluttershy nodded their heads, "I guess I should get it checked out, if it means I can finally get to sleep. Let me just pack my horde and I'll leave," The dragon turned around and entered his cave to gather his things. Sora and Fluttershy landed on the ground, where the latter was pulled into a hug from Twilight.

"You did it!" She cheered, "I knew you could do it!" Fluttershy became flustered, her words fumbling as she tried to form a sentence. It was just like Sora said, Twilight did believe in Fluttershy.

"Darling, that was incredible!" Rarity complimented.

"Well, I'll be," Applejack continued the train, "I'm not sure how you did that, but it was amazin' nonetheless!"

"I'm not sure what I did myself," Fluttershy admitted.

"I think I know what happened," Sora addressed Fluttershy, "You were brave."

"Y-you really think so?" Fluttershy asked, her cheek burning in embarrassment from all this praise.

"I know so!" Sora flashed a wide smile. Looking over to her other friends, Fluttershy saw they were giving her similar expressions. Even Rainbow Dash showed her appreciation for what Fluttershy did. With all these overwhelming emotions, the yellow mare began to cry again, only now these were tears of joy.

"T-Thank you..." Fluttershy whispered.

"What was that?" Sora asked, not catching what Fluttershy said. He got his answer when the yellow mare lunched him and hugged him lightly. That was all he needed to know how grateful she was. He returned the gesture with a gentle hug of his own. The others soon joined in as well, forming a very tightly knit group hug.

The mares made their way back down the mountain. Sora wanted to stay and survey the mountain to remove any stray Heartless still in the area. Along the way, Twilight interrogated Rainbow Dash on her attitude as of late. Turned out that Rainbow was mad at missing the Equestria ball bouncing record that morning. The cyan mare accentuated that Pinkie Pie was to blame for the failure, to which the pink mare claimed innocence. Twilight subjected Rainbow Dash a horrible torture for her attitude, a long winded lecture about why you shouldn't take out your frustrations on other ponies. By the time the purple unicorn finished her 30 minute lesson, Rainbow was ready to bash her head on the floor.

When the mares returned, it was close to nightfall. Twilight quickly organized a group of pegasi to blow away the smoke that had been covering Ponyville. Afterwards, she retrieved Spike from Fluttershy's cottage, much to the little drake's relief. Twilight reported back to Celestia about the dragon's departure, as well as a new lesson she learned in friendship: never give up on your friends, no matter what.

Fluttershy learned something also. Thanks to Sora, she now understood what being brave really meant. She was petrified of the dragon, but she put aside her fears for her friend's sakes. She just needed to be a little brave to save the day.


	11. Bridle Gossip

It was a dark and story night in the town of Ponyville, just as the weather team had planned. A large storm was scheduled for that night, and everypony in town was in their homes for the night. Inside the Apple house, Sora and Apple Bloom were sitting in the former's bedroom, the pitter-patter of the rain drops beating over the roof.

"How big was that dragon?" Apple Bloom eagerly asked, "Was he as big as the barn?"

"He was three times as big!" Sora outstretched his fore-hooves to emphasize his point. Apple Bloom's eyes were practically sparkling as Sora told her the story of the dragon in the mountain.

"And you went and tried to fight him?" Apple Bloom absorbed the information Sora told her.

"Sure did," Sora nodded his head, "I wasn't going to let him get away with hurting my friends! It didn't matter if he was a dragon or not, I'll stand up for my friends no matter what!"

"So you put that dragon in his place and made him leave, did you?" She speculated, a wide smile plastered on her face.

"Actually, when I was fighting him, Fluttershy stepped in and talked the dragon down," The little filly's eyes bulged upon hearing this information.

"You mean to tell me that Fluttershy of all ponies talked down a dragon?!" Apple Bloom stated.

"Yeah, I sure wasn't expecting that to happen," Sora admitted, "It was like her stare brought him down or something. Still, it was a good thing she stepped in when she did."

"Ah betcha you coulda beaten that dragon down no problem!" Apple Bloom said exuberantly. Sora nervously rubbed the back of his head in response.

"Aw c'mon, Apple Bloom," He sheepishly denied her claim.

"Don't be acting all modest now!" Apple Bloom playfully demanded, "You beat the stuffing outta Nightmare Moon, didn't you? She has to be way more powerful than some dragon!"

_"I guess Nightmare Moon did have a keyblade,"_ Sora recalled his shock when the dark alicorn dropped that revelation on him, _"Still, she didn't use it in crazy ways like some of the other Keyblade wielders I've fought."_ It was so strange. This world seemed to have some connection to the Keyblade, but Sora nor anyone he knows have heard of Equestria.

"Say, Sora," Apple Bloom continued the conversation, but her tone grew somber, "Do ya really think Applejack got outta the storm?" Apple Bloom peered out the window, raindrops violently pummeling the glass surface. It seemed as though distracting Apple Bloom with a story was only a temporary solution to her worrying of her sister.

"Of course she she did!" Sora answered with certainty.

"How do ya know that?" Apple Bloom questioned, looking at Sora with wide eyes.

"Applejack's tough. I'm sure she found some shelter to wait out the storm."

—

Sora wasn't wrong, Applejack did find somewhere to stay for the night, and she was sharing the space with Rarity and Twilight.

"I dare Applejack to do something carefully and neatly for a change," Rarity spitefully shot at Applejack.

"Oh yeah? Well ah dare Rarity ta lighten up and stop obsessin' over every last little detail, for a change," Applejack shot back.

"I think the 'truth' of the matter is that somepony could stand to pay a little more attention to details," Rarity fired.

"And ah think the 'truth' is somepony oughta quit with her fussin' so the rest of us can get things done," Applejack counter-attacked.

Twilight sighed in dejection, this was going to be a long slumber party.

—

Apple Bloom brought a hoof to her chin in thought, "I suppose ya could be right..."

"Of course I'm right," Sora responded. Another critical look at Apple Bloom showed that she still had some reservations about his consolation, "You're really worried about Applejack, aren't you?" Sora sat closer to the yellow filly and wrapped his hoof around her.

"I know Applejack can be stubborn and all... But she's still my sister," Apple Bloom huddled close to Sora, "I don't really know what I'd do without her."

"You really care about her, don't you?" Sora asked, gently rubbing Apple Bloom's back. The little filly nodded her head. Sora could tell when someone was hurting because someone they cared about wasn't there.

"Yeah..." Apple Bloom trailed off.

"It must be nice, having siblings..." Sora unconsciously stated. The yellow filly snapped out of her funk and addressed Sora directly.

"Ya mean ya don't have any brothers or sisters?" Apple Bloom inquired. Sora offered her a sad smile.

"Yeah, I'm an only child," He told her.

"Really? Ah can't imagine being an only child," Apple Bloom said.

"It's fine," Sora replied, "I'm actually kinda glad I don't have an older sibling."

"Why's that?"

"Well, then I wouldn't have this happen to me," All of a sudden, Sora put Apple Bloom in a hold and gave her a hard noogie. The yellow filly voiced her protests and flailed him limbs, unable to escape Sora's hold. Sora eased up on his torture on Apple Bloom, but still held onto her pretty tightly. The two ponies bursted into laughter at the caramel pony's antics. Apple Bloom was feeling alot better, especially since she had a pony like Sora to keep her company.

—

The next morning, the sky was clear. Both Sora and Apple Bloom got a good night's sleep despite the raging storm. After breakfast with Granny Smith and Big Macintosh, the two young ponies traveled into town, Apple Bloom piggybacking on Sora's back, with the intent of finding Applejack.

"Say, Sora," Apple Bloom initiated a conversation, "Do ya think ya can do some of mah chores for me today?" She supplemented her question with a wide smile.

"Forget it, Apple Bloom," Sora rejected the question, "I do enough on the farm as it is."

"Aww, c'mon, please!" Apple Bloom's desperate plea did nothing.

"Sorry, not happening," Sora replied with a sly smile. Apple Bloom sighed in dejection and slumped her frame. While the two of them trotted through the streets, the little filly noticed something strange.

"Hey, where is everypony?" She pointed out. Sora stopped trotting and took a critical look around the area. He hadn't really noticed it until Apple Bloom pointed it out to him, but Ponyville was uncharacteristically desolate today.

"That's weird," Sora noted. Normally, there were ponies out and about, but there was narry a soul in sight, "Is there some kinda holiday today?"

"None that ah know about," Apple Bloom answered. Sora continued to trek through the deserted town, walking near Sugarcube Corner.

"What could've happened?" Sora pondered, walking up to Sugarcube Corner. As he was wondering, he stopped when something caught his eye. From the corner of his eye, he saw a figure. Whoever it was, he or she was draped in a ragged cloak, digging at the ground with his or her hoof, "Hey, who's that?" Apple Bloom peered to who Sora was glancing at. The little filly let out a surprise gasp. Just then, Sora felt his entire being pull backwards, causing both him and Apple Bloom to yelp in surprise. Next thing he knew, Sora had his back sprawled the floor of Sugarcube Corner, only that the lights were out.

"Wow, it's a good thing I saw you and Apple Bloom when I did," Pinkie Pie appeared in front of Sora's face—very close to Sora's face.

"Pinkie?!" Sora yelped in shock, jolting upwards so that his head impacted with the pink one's cranium. The resulting collision left both ponies rubbing their temples to mitigate the pain. Sora stood up as his focus recomposed itself. In the room along with Pinkie, Apple Bloom and himself were Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, "What in the world is going on? Why are you all here?"

Sora's gaze curiously found Twilight's. The purple unicorn awkwardly broke the eye contact "Don't look at me, I'm just as clueless as you are right now," Sora then glanced to Applejack.

"Where hiding from her..." The farm mare moved aside the curtain so that the cloaked figure was in view. Everyone peered outside the window as the figure outside continued digging at the ground. Rather suddenly, the figure turned it's head over to the group, revealing a set of glowing yellow eyes. All aside from Sora and Twilight dropped to the floor in fear. Sora did flinch at the sight of those yellow eyes, however.

_"Cloak, yellow eyes..."_ Sora felt something gripping his heart, something akin to fear, _"No... That can't be. They're all gone now. Right?"_

"Did ya see her, Sora?" Apple Bloom tugged on Sora's sleeve, bringing him out of his inner thoughts, "Didja see Zecora?"

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack scolded the little filly, "What have ah told you? Never saw that name out loud," Apple Bloom flinched after her big sister's little scolding. The group gazed out the window once again to see the mysterious mare had her back to them. This time, Zecora flipped back her hood, revealing a white coat adorned with gray stripes and a mohawk mane. Once again, the mares are yelped in fear and dropped to the floor.

"Would you all stop that," Twilight lightly demanded.

"Ugh, those stripes," Rarity winced in disgust, "So garish! What pony would even think of such a thing?"

Twilight responded to Rarity with a deadpan expression, "Rarity, she's a zebra," Twilight was met with a string of confused looks from everypony. Sighing in dejection, Twilight felt the need to explain, "Zecora is not a pony, she's a zebra. My books tell me that zebra's come from a far away land. Oh, and her stripes are not a fashion statement, she was born with them."

"WHAT?!" Rarity could feel her vision failing her. With a hoof over her head, she fainted.

"Where does she live?" Sora asked, still gazing out the window, "I've never seen her around town before."

"That's just it," Applejack grew even more fearful, "She lives in the Everfree Forest."

"Well, what's so creepy about that?" Sora questioned further, turning his head away from the window. He still didn't know what was so intrinsically strange about that forest.

"The Everfree Forest just ain't natural," Applejack explained, "The plants grow..."

"Animals care for themselves..." Fluttershy added.

"And the clouds move..." Rainbow furthered.

All three mares finished with a simultaneous, "All on their own!" Sora did not seem at all taken with their fears. In fact, he seemed utterly flabbergasted after hearing their explanation.

"So what?" The reaction he received was not what he was expecting.

"SO WHAT?!" The three mares repeated back at him with utter shock, making Sora flinch back. Maybe that was something he shouldn't have said. The three mares were gaping at Sora like he was the one they should be hiding from. Rarity even fainted again. Thankfully, Pinkie Pie appeared to draw attention away from Sora for the moment.

"The Everfree Forest is where the evil enchantress Zecora does her evil... Things," She spoke in a menacing voice to the caramel pony, bringing her muzzle uncomfortably close to his, "She's so evil that I even wrote a song about how evil she is."

_"Another one of Pinkie's songs?"_ Sora was always confused whenever Pinkie Pie sung, mostly because of the invisible instruments. While Pinkie was singing, she performed a series of exaggerated movements to get her point across.

_She's an evil enchantress  
She does evil dances  
And if you look deep in her eyes  
She'll put you in trances  
Then what will she do?  
She'll mix up an evil brew  
Then she'll gobble you up  
In a big tasty stew  
Soooo... Watch out?!_

"Wow, catchy," Sora complimented.

"It's a work in progress," Pinkie said. Twilight, however, was not so impressed. Her analytical mind was ablaze. Every conclusion she came to pointed that this fear was all baseless paranoia.

"Girls, do you even realize how ridiculous this all sounds?" The purple unicorn questioned. All eyes were now on Twilight, "Do any of you have any proof that Zecora is actually evil?"

"Well... Once a month, she comes into Ponyville," Rainbow Dash explained.

"Oooooh," Twilight pretended that she was shocked, letting out a fake gasp.

"Then, she lurks by the stores," Rarity's tone of voice made it seem like what she said was creepy, but Twilight wasn't buying it.

"Oh, my word," Twilight continued her mockingly sarcastic surprise act.

"And then, she digs at the ground," Fluttershy chimed in.

"Good gracious!" Twilight cleared her throat before she continued in her normal tone of voice, "Okay, I'm sorry. What in Equestria does any of that prove? Did you ever consider that she comes to Ponyville to visit, or that she goes to the stores not to lurk but to do some shopping?"

What she said made perfect sense, at least to Apple Bloom. Maybe Zecora was just trying to be neighborly.

"What about the digging the ground thing?" Rainbow argued, "You have to admit that's pretty weird."

"What if she's digging for innocent creatures?" Fluttershy fearfully proposed. Twilight could only groan in annoyance at such a ridiculous claim.

"Sora, please tell me you don't buy into any of this nonsense," Twilight needed to know that at least sompony was thinking rationally today. Unfortunately for her, Sora was still gazing out the window as Zecora trotted out of view towards the Everfree Forest, "Sora?" The caramel pegasus blinked profusely hearing Twilight calling out his name, looking to the studious unicorn with shrunken pupils.

"Oh, um..." Sora couldn't find his voice. Twilight took this as a sign that he was buying into the other's gossip.

"C'mon, Sora!" Twilight put a hoof to her forehead, "Don't tell me you believe all this?"

"N-no... It's not like that..." Sora trailed off, glancing towards the window once more, "It's just... I can't help but think that something must be up," Twilight face-hoofed.

"Ya wanna know what ah think?" Apple Bloom chimed in. She had her own theory on Zecora; however, little Apple Bloom would not get the chance to share it.

"Apple Bloom," Applejack scooted the filly aside, "The big ponies are talking."

"Ah am a big pony," Apple Bloom spat under her breath, her face contorting into a grumpy expression.

Sora looked out the window as Zecora disappeared from view. From the looks of things, it seems like she was heading towards the Everfree Forest. Something took hold of Sora, a sort of fear of something he had encountered in the past. This fear compelled him to leave the building and chase after her. Apple Bloom, having seen Sora leave, was compelled to follow after him.

"You ponies are being ridiculous!" Twilight spat.

"Well, I heard that Zecora eats hay," Pinkie accused. It took all of Twilight's willpower to not slap the pink mare in the back of the head for saying something so stupid.

"Pinkie, I eat hay; you eat hay!" Twilight said that with as much conviction as possible.

"Yeah, but I heard she eats hay evilly," Pinkie threw her hooves up to exemplify her point. Twilight face-hoofed again.

"Hey! Where's Apple Bloom?" The farm mare asked. She was sure the filly was right next to her a second ago.

"Sora's gone too," Fluttershy noted, "Look, the door's open," She pointed to the open door that Sora forgot to close.

"They must have went outside!" Rarity concluded.

"And Zecora's still out there," Rainbow pointed out, acting as if it were the scariest thing ever.

"Sora can take care of himself," Applejack said, "But Apple Bloom... Ugh! Why can't she just stay put?!" There was a collective concern for the little filly among the group.

"Spike, you stay here in case Apple Bloom comes back," Twilight ordered.

"Will do!" Spike saluted the purple mare. With that, the girls flooded out of the building to look for their lost little filly.

—

Sora had to gallop fast in order to catch up with Zecora. He managed to find her near the edge of the Everfree Forest past a field of curious blue flowers. Sora stopped himself to catch his breath. After he regained his lung capacity, the caramel pony looked to the cloaked figure. He took a second to compose himself before he trotted towards Zecora, unconsciously stepping on a few of the leaves as he made his approach.

"SORA!" Multiple voices spoke. Sora jumped in surprise, turning to find the mares running towards him. Zecora turned her head to the commotion, seeing the mares trample over the flowers.

"What are you all doing here?" Sora questioned. The mares did not get a chance to answer as someone else began to speak.

"Beware, beware you pony folk. That blue leaf is not a joke," Zecora spoke, prompting the ponies to look directly at her. Her muzzle was fully visible under her hood, but her eyes were completely blocked from view.

"Ya'll keep your mumbo-jumbo to yerself, ya hear me!" Applejack threatened.

"Beware, beware..." Zecora backed away slowly, disappearing behind a cloud of mist.

"Hey, wait!" Sora reached out and galloped forward. The fog lessened to reveal that the zebra had vanished, prompting Sora to stop, "She's gone."

"Yeah, it's you and your lame curse that better beware, Zecora!" Rainbow Dash bragged, pleased that the suspected enchantress was gone.

"Why are you all here?" Sora repeated his question from before.

"We saw that you and Apple Bloom weren't in Sugarcube Corner, so we came after ya," Applejack answered. Sora's eyes widened.

"Wait, Apple Bloom's missing?!" Concern was more than apparent in his voice. The group then heard the sound of a branch snapping. The ponies all looked to where the sound had come from. There was Apple Bloom, half hidden behind a tree with her hoof on top of a broken twig. The yellow filly looked over to the wide-eyed group, chuckling nervously now that her cover was blown.

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack yelled, running towards the filly.

"Oh, hi, Applejack," The yellow filly waved nervously as her big sister stared her down.

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack scolded, "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I was following Sora," She admitted, knowing she could not lie to somepony like Applejack. The big sister was about to scold the little sister, but a certain caramel pegasus stepped forward.

"What the heck were you thinking?!" Sora shouted to Apple Bloom, glaring at her in anger, "Why were you following me?!" The mares all flinched back in shock, not used to seeing Sora act so stern.

"Sora," Apple Bloom fiddled her words, unable to form a sentence under his forceful glare.

"It's way too dangerous for you to be out here," Sora told the filly. Using his wings to float in the air, the caramel pegasus took hold of Apple Bloom's ear, leading to a verbal outcry from the filly, "You're going home right now!" Sora guided the despondent filly back to the farm, all the while she winced in pain as he continued to hold onto her ear like a stern parent. As the two disappeared, the mares recovered from their shock.

"Wow, I didn't know Sora could get like that," Pinkie Pie commented.

"Well, serves Apple Bloom right," Applejack said, "Who knows what kinda curse Zecora coulda put on her," All of this talk about curses was making Twilight's mane frizz.

"Girls, there is no such thing as curses!" The purple unicorn exclaimed.

Rainbow Dash flew over to Twilight, grazing a few of the blue leaves in the process, "Well, that's interesting to hear coming from Miss Magic Pants herself."

"My magic, real magic, comes from within," Twilight spoke with pride, closing her eyes as she continued her explanation, "It's a skill you're born with. Curses are artificial, fake magic. It's conjured with potions and incantations; all smoke and mirrors meant to scare. But curses have no real power, they're just an old pony tale," Twilight opened her eyes to find that the mares were trotting off, much to her surprise and dismay.

"Just you wait, Twilight," Applejack spoke to the purple pony menacingly, "You're gonna learn that some pony tales really are true," With that, the farm mare trotted away, leaving Twilight alone in the field. The purple unicorn rolled her eyes. How could all of her friends act so preposterous? With a sigh, Twilight trotted towards home.

Despite the eventful morning, the day rest of the day went fairly normally. Everypony went about their daily routines with no issues. However, the Apples did notice that Sora was acting strangely distant throughout the day.

—

The sun was just about to fully grace Ponyville with it's presence. Sleeping in his room in the Apple house, Sora was well acquainted with dream land. With the covers over his head, Sora was just a pulsating lump. The door to Sora's room opened slowly. Peeking inside the quaint room was little Apple Bloom, carrying with her a pot and a wooden spoon. The yellow filly giggled to herself as she tip-hoofed up to Sora's bed. When she was right next to the caramel pony's bedding, she set off her prank.

"Wakey Wakey!" Apple Bloom screamed, banging her spoon on the pot. The sheer shook of the loud noises made Sora jump in surprise with a high pitched shriek. Similar to his first day on the farm, Sora landed on the floor with a thud, tangled in his own blanket. Apple Bloom rolled on the floor, erupting in laughter at her little prank, "Ah got you good, Sora," She boasted.

"Apple Bloom!" Sora seethed under his blanket, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Sora rummaged through his blanket, pulling it off his head. Apple Bloom ceased her laughter and stood up. Upon seeing Sora, her expression changed dramatically. Her amused smile was now replaced with shrunken pupils and a hanging jaw. Sora stood up and looked at the farm filly, noticing her shock.

"Apple Bloom, why are you looking at me like that?" Something was wrong with Sora's current perspective. His eyes were in perfect alignment with Apple Bloom's, while he was standing up, "Hey, how did you get so big?" Sora then noticed something off, mainly how high pitched his voice was, "Wait, what happened to my voice?"

"Uhhhhhh..." Apple Bloom couldn't find her voice. Worried, Sora pushed Apple Bloom out of the way and galloped to the full body mirror in his room. He couldn't comprehend what he was looking at. This was not how he was supposed to be.

Sora screamed.

—

At the same time, Twilight awoke from an unpleasant dream. She didn't want to admit it, but a part of her wondered if Zecora really was evil, that her friends were justified in their paranoia. With her head groggy, Twilight exited her bed and wearily made her way to her bathroom mirror. Twilight could practically feel her mane was messy, and a quick look in the mirror confirmed just that. She couldn't even see her own horn past all the unkempt hair.

"Maybe Zecora cursed my mane," Twilight joked, brushing her messy mane, bringing into view her spotted and floppy horn—Twilight gasped, "Or maybe my horn!"

For the first stage of the morning, Twilight and Spike were frantically searching the library for any clue as to how to fix the purple unicorn's horn. Their search proved fruitless.

"No no no no no!" Twilight tossed another book away after speed reading it's pages, "None of these books have a cure! Ugh! There has to be a reason for this! An illness? An allergy?!

"A curse!" Spike blurted out, to which Twilight narrowed her expression.

"I mean a real reason, Spike," Twilight brushed aside her assistant's claim while skimming through another book, "Something that that is actually plausible."

"How about this?" Spike presented to Twilight a green book with a peculiar title.

"Supernaturals?" She read the title. Spike gave Twilight an expectant smile, to which she responded, "Spike, the word 'supernatural' refers to things like ghosts and spirits and zombies, which are as make-believe as curses. This book is just a bunch of nonsense!" Twilight smacked the book away.

"But what if you're wrong, Twilight?" Spike suggested, "What if this really is a—"

"A phursch!" Said a voice. Twilight's and Spike's perked their ears, motioning their heads to the source of the voice. Both pony and dragon gasped in surprise. Standing at the open door was Pinkie Pie, her tongue swollen and covered in blue spots.

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight gasped in shock, "What happened to you?!"

"Pee pah Zthecora! Sthe put a cursthe on me!" Pinkie lets out dribbles off saliva as she spoke her incoherent words. Twilight and Spike finched back as they were sprayed with spit.

"Hey, say it, don't spray it, Pinkie," Spike scolded. All of a sudden, a rainbow blur blasted into the library through the window. The blur crashed, revealing to be rainbow dash, who now had her hooves tangled with a wooden ladder. Something was wrong with Rainbow Dash as well. Her wings were inverted, and on her lower section rather than on her back.

"She's trying to say—that Zecora, ugh, put a curse on us," Rainbow exerted, trying to remove herself from the awkward position she landed in.

"I would have to agree," Cam the elegant voice of Rarity who arrived with Fluttershy by her side. Twilight and Spike gasped in shock again. Rarity's mane and coat had grown exponentially in length. The prim and proper mare was now a pony affixed with tendrils of purple and white hair.

"Ah hate to say ah told ya so, Twilight, but ah told ya so," spoke a squeaky high pitched voice. The two turned to find the strangest sight yet, a sight that almost made their jaws drop off. There was Applejack and Apple Bloom, but Applejack was the size of a mouse, standing atop her little sister's head. That wasn't all, there was another pony present, a foal based on the body shape. What was strange about this pony was that he or she was wearing a very familiar jacket and saddlebags, Sora's to be exact. The hood was up so nopony could see whose face it was.

"Apple Bloom," Twilight addressed the filly, gesturing her hoof to the figure next to her, "Who's this, and why are they wearing Sora's clothes?" In response, the young pony grabbed hold of the red hood and pulled it down further, covering his whole muzzle. Wanting an answer, Twilight grabbed the hood and pulled it back herself, leading to surprised gasps from everypony except the Apple sisters. The caramel fur was the same, as well as the spiky brown mane, but there was no denying that he was a little colt.

"Sora?!" Twilight said in astonishment, "Is that you?" Sora blushed in embarrassment and pulled the hood over his head again. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, biting on Sora's hood before she pulled it back, revealing the colt's face once again. Sora flinched, blushing in embarrassment at the attention he was getting from the mares in the room.

"It's a curse Twilight!" Applejack shouted, jumping off Apple Bloom's head and onto a nearby table, "That rotten Zecora did this to us!" Twilight looked around the room, there was no denying that something was going on; however, there was a sprig of doubt remaining.

"What about Fluttershy?" Twilight questioned. The yellow mare had not spoken yet, yet she looked completely fine, narry an outward thing out of place, "Nothing happened to her," Fluttershy looked away as Twilight said this.

"Well, darling..?" Rarity asked. Fluttershy, in response, fiddled with her hooves, keeping her mouth shut.

"Well, c'mon girl," Applejack demand, "Spit it out."

After a brief second, words did come out of Fluttershy's mouth, "I don't wanna talk about it," That was not Fluttershy's voice, that was the deepest male voice anyone in the room had ever heard. The denizens of the library were left speechless.

With all of these embarrassing states the group were in, Spike burst out into riotous laughter, "This is hilarious! We got Spitty Pie, Rainbow Crash, Hairity, Flutterguy, Apple-teeny, Foal-a and—" Spike glanced to Twilight and her floppy horn once again, "I got nothing," Twilight decided to ignore Spike's insults and jump right into the matter at hoof.

"What in the world could have happened?" Twilight questioned, looking at the sates she and her friends were in.

"It was that no good Zecora ah tell ya!" Applejack yelled in her squeaky voice. Twilight groaned.

"I know what you are all thinking, but I'm telling you: curses do not exist!" With that, the six mares again broke out into a huge argument about the nature of magic and the falsity of hex's and curses. While they were arguing, Sora thought back to yesterday. There were still things he needed to know, and listening to the girls argue was going to get him nowhere.

"This is all mah fault," Apple Bloom lamented, noting how heated the argument was getting, "If ah didn't follow Sora yesterday, then none of this woulda happened. Ah gotta fix this," Apple Bloom casted a glance to the front door, finding that it was open. Sora was nowhere to be found as well. Knowing what she had to do, Apple Bloom rushed out the door.

—

Little Sora made his way to the edge of the Everfree Forest, making sure that his hood was over his head so that no one recognized him. He did get quite a few odd looks from passerbys. He was a colt wearing a grown pony's clothes after all.

"I need to know," Sora said to himself, "I need to know if she was part of some convoluted back-up plan or something."

"Sora!" Cried a filly's voice. Sora turned his head to find Apple Bloom galloping towards him.

"Apple Bloom? You're following me again?" Sora questioned.

"I noticed ya weren't in the library while the girls were arguing," Apple Bloom explained, "Where ya going, Sora?" She pulled Sora's hood back, causing him to blush in response.

"Can you not pull my hood back," Sora requested, "This is too embarrassing."

"It's more awkward to talk to somepony when their face is covered up with a hood," Apple Bloom retorted.

_"Ain't that the truth,"_ Sora thought, _"And that's exactly the point,"_. There didn't seem to be much harm in telling Apple Bloom what he was doing. After all, she probably wouldn't leave him alone otherwise, "I'm going to find Zecora. Maybe she knows how to fix me and the girls," That was only half true. There was still something that was bothering him, and the possibility he was thinking of scared him to no end.

"Ya think so?" Sora nodded his little head to answer Apple Bloom's questions, "Well, let me help ya," She offered. Sora was afraid of this exact scenario.

"Sorry, Apple Bloom, it's way to dangerous," Sora denied, shaking his head.

"Aww, c'mon! Don't you try to pull that on me, Sora!" The filly poked Sora's chest, "I can take care of mahself, honest!"

"Apple Bloom, you have no idea what's going on here," Sora ignored her protests, "For all you know, there could be heartless in the forest!" Sora's reasoning did nothing to change Apple Bloom's mind; in fact, she seemed to get more agitated.

"Ugh!" Apple Bloom threw her hooves into the air, "You sound exactly like Applejack! She keeps tellin' me ah can't do anything fun because 'ah'll get hurt' or whatever!"

"Apple Bloom, you're a kid!" Sora grew increasingly frustrated with this filly's defiance, "This isn't some kind of joke!"

"You're a kid!" Apple Bloom retorted, taking note of the caramel pony's current state. Sora flinched back, finding it hard to rebuttal that argument. Then something occurred to him.

"Well... I can use the Keyblade!" Sora fired back with a smug smile, summoning his weapon in his jaw. It was far larger than Sora at this point in time. It also seemed far heavier Sora noticed. Normally, the caramel pegasus was able to properly balance the weight of the weapon; however, now that he was a colt, the keyblade's weight forced him to fall down on his stomach with a thud. Sora's hold on his keyblade broke on his fall, leaving it on the ground while it's master was left dazed and confused. Apple Bloom, having witnessed Sora's unimpressive display, broke into a riotous laughter. Sora quickly regained his composure and dismissed his keyblade.

"It's not funny!" Sora fumed, puffing his cheeks in anger. His plea did no good, Apple Bloom continued to chortle at Sora's failed attempt to look cool, rolling on the floor as her laughter increased. With a huff, Sora turned the other way and stormed his way into the Everfree Forest. Apple Bloom ceased her laughter enough to see that Sora was trotting away. The filly widened her eyes in surprise and got back up.

"Hey!" She called out, galloping to the caramel colt, "Wait up!"

—

Back at the library, Twilight was still engaged in a five against one argument regarding the supposed curse put upon them, and the Zebra that was being blamed for it.

"I say we storm Zecora's place and make her fix this!" Rainbow Dash suggested, struggling to regain her balance, "Who's with me?!"

"I am!" Pinkie Pie spat out.

"Me too!" Rarity blew out a few strands of hair from her face.

Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement.

"Count me in!" Applejack affirmed. Twilight slumped her head in irritation. It was just like yesterday. These ponies were far too paranoid to think rationally. In her grumpy state, Twilight noticed something.

"Wait a minute, where's Sora?" The purple unicorn frantically searched the room, but found no traces of a colt anywhere.

"Where in the world did he go?" Rarity questioned.

"Wait an apple buckin' minuet!" Applejack screeched, "What happened to Apple Bloom?!" Neither foals were to be found in the library.

"Oh no, I think Sora might have gone after Zecora again," Twilight theorized.

"And Apple Bloom must've followed right after him again!" Applejack huffed, "Why doesn't that filly ever do as she's told?!"

"Phee goshha sho ashfeer shem!" Pinkie Pie sputtered. Rushing out the door.

"C'mon, ya'll!" Applejack jumped on top of Twilight and climbed atop her head, "We gotta catch up with 'em!" The mares funneled out the door to begin their search. Fluttershy almost left, but she noticed that Spike seemed to be working at a side desk.

"Spike, aren't you coming with?" She asked with her deep voice.

"Well, someone needs to stay behind and look for a cure, right?" Spike reasoned. Fluttershy shrugged and exited the library. After she left, Spike received a stroke of genius, "Twilight Flopple! Oh, I'm good."

—

Sora grumpily trotted the path in the Everfree Forest. He had no clue where he could even find Zecora, but that was no reason not to look. What wasn't helping his situation was the filly following his movements.

"Why are you still following me?" Sora questioned Apple Bloom, not looking at the filly who was right behind him.

"What, ya gonna make me stop?" The young Apple taunted, gliding over to Sora's side, "Some dumb colt wearing a grown pony's clothes."

"I'm older than you!" Sora shouted, getting really irritated with his small frame, "And these are my clothes!"

"Yeah, well at least I didn't get cursed," Apple Bloom retorted. Sora groaned in annoyance.

Sora, in his grumpiness, failed to notice that his right sleeve was sliding outward. The next step he took, his little hoof got caught in his sleeve, thereby making Sora trip and fall on his face. The sudden jolt of movement forced Sora's saddlebags open, spilling their contents on the dirt path. There was a collection of green bottles, a few keychains, along with a few more miscellaneous items. Apple Bloom burst in laughter after seeing Sora fall down once again. The caramel colt shook his head to regain his focus. Hearing Apple Bloom laugh at his misfortune once more made Sora even more grumpy.

"Shut up!" Sora shouted, getting up to put his things back in his saddlebags, "It's not my fault I got small!"

Apple Bloom was having a field day seeing Sora so pouty all of a sudden. As he was stuffing his saddlebags back up, Apple Bloom saw a curious item at her hooves. It was a little trinket made out of yellow sea shells sewn together to look like a star. Attached to the top of one of the shells was a braided piece of string. On that same shell was a little drawing of a smiley face with brown hair. Finding another avenue to tease Sora, Apple Bloom grasped the string with her teeth.

"Hey, Sora," She prodded. The caramel pegasus looked over to the yellow filly. All manner of annoyed frustration quickly turned into pure horror when he saw the trinket dangling from her teeth, "Ah didn't know you like jewelry so much," She teased. Sora's eyes were as small as pinpricks and his throat felt dry.

"Give that back!" He demanded, not out of anger, but out of desperation. Apple Bloom didn't pick up on his tone and decided to probe further for the fun of it.

"Oh really?" She started to swing it back and forth mockingly, "I'll give it back if you let me come with you."

Getting extorted like that, Sora felt something within him snap. In a quick motion, Sora leapt at Apple Bloom, tackling her with enough force to knock the trinket out of her teeth. The two foals rolled on the floor until Sora pinned Apple Bloom to the base of the tree. The face Apple Bloom saw was not the kind and supportive Sora she had grown to know. This pony showed malice, anger, but most of all, pain. Looking up at such an intimidating face, Apple Bloom felt only fear. Under that crushing gaze, she began to cry. Sora, upon seeing what his rage induced, softened his expression into pure regret. Immediately, he backed away to allow Apple Bloom to regain her composure. Sora felt a wave of remorse when he saw Apple Bloom sniffling as she stood up, tears leaking down her face.

"Apple Bloom..." Sora felt awful for what he just did that he was leaking from his eyes as well, "I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have—"

"No, ah... Ah was being a brat," Apple Bloom interrupted him, wiping the tears off her face, "Ah shouldn't have been teasing ya like ah did," Sora wasn't satisfied with that.

"No, I almost hurt you!" Sora turned away in shame, _"That's the second time I've snapped at one of my friends. What's wrong with me?"_. He began to sniffle away in despair until Apple Bloom moved his head so that he was making eye contact with her.

"Sora, listen, you're mah friend. Ah know yer a good pony, and Aah don't wanna lose ya just because ya got angry," Apple Bloom gave him a simple smile. That smile seemed to cast some sort of spell on Sora as he felt his fears leave him. Feeling relieved that Apple Bloom did not hate him, Sora used his oversized sleeve to wipe away his tears.

"Thanks, Apple Bloom," He expressed his gratitude. Apple Bloom widened her smile to see that Sora was feeling better. From the corner of her eye, the filly noticed the star trinket lying on the ground.

"Say, Sora, what's so special about that there trinket?" She pointed to the the charm. Sora followed Apple Bloom's hoof to find his possession on the ground. Without missing a beat, Sora scooped up the trinket in his little hooves.

"It's called a wayfinder," Sora looked at the charm in his hooves, this special item that had great meaning to him, "It was gift from a friend of mine. Someone very important to me," Sora brought the wayfinder to his chest, almost as if holding it close provided some kind of comfort.

"Oh," Apple Bloom suddenly felt really bad about teasing him over that wayfinder thing, "Sora, ah didn't know it was that important to ya."

"It is. More than you could ever realize," Sora could feel something gripping his heart, _I have to know. I can't leave anything to chance... Not after what he did to her,"_ He held the charm even tighter. Apple Bloom could see that Sora was very emotionally strained right now.

"Say, Sora," Apple Bloom wanted to change the subject, "Do ya think that Zecora really is evil?" Sora eased the tension in his muscles and considered that question. There really was no reason for him to suspect Zecora of being an evil enchantress. But there was something he noticed when he first saw her, those piercing yellow eyes.

"I really don't know," Sora answered, "There's something about her that I'm unsure about. If what I suspect is true, then we could all be in serious danger," He spoke with dread, something which Apple Bloom caught onto.

"Okay but... You're in no position to be fightin' anythin'," Apple Bloom pointed to Sora. He knew what she was talking about, his current form as a colt. His clothes didn't fit him and he couldn't even hold his Keyblade right. Sora looked down to the Wayfinder in his hooves. He felt so helpless right now, "Listen, Sora, ah just wanna be helpful."

"Apple Bloom..." Sora looked to his young friend.

"What's this, two foals who have strayed from home? Perhaps I should be nice and throw them a bone."

Sora and Apple Bloom froze in place. There was someone else with them. Apple Bloom felt a lump in her throat.

"I-it's you..." She breathed.

Sora was fixated on only one thing from this new visitor, "Y-your eyes..."

—

The mares rushed into the forest as fast as they could. In Rainbow Dash's case, she fumbled around, hitting almost every tree she passed by. After half an hour of searching, she eventually crashed near a rustic looking hut adorned with foliage and a few bones. The mares followed after the fumbling cyan mare, coming up to the hut.

"Well, ah'd say that's where a witch would live," Applejack commented. The mares peeked in through the window to get a look at the interior. It was certainly creepy, strange scary masks, shelves lined with potions and herbs, a cauldron in the center with boiling green liquid.

"Look!" Rarity shouted, "On the table over there!" She pointed to a rustic table in the corner, where there lay black and red clothes.

"Okay, so there are clothes on the table," Twilight related, "What's so strange about that?"

"Those aren't just anypony's clothes. Those are Sora's!" She said in horror. The mares all gasped in shock.

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked.

"Believe me," Rarity spoke with complete certainty, "I'd recognize that fine craftsponyship anywhere," Twilight felt a pit in her stomach. Surely, there was no way anything happened to Sora, he was to battle hardened to be bested so easily. Then again, his new foalhood would severely limit his abilities.

Just then, the wooden door creaked open. It was fairly obvious to the mares who it was, it was Zecora; she had the stripes and the mohawk, yet she was not wearing her hood. Now her full features were visible. She wore gold rings around her neck and left fore-leg along with golden hoop earrings. Her eyes were a dark, greenish blue color. Zecora reached for a nearby bottle and poured some into the cauldron. Then she began to cite some incantations in a language none of the ponies could understand. As this scene was playing out, Twilight began to grow ever fearful.

"Okay, creepy masks, a boiling cauldron, Sora's clothes on the side table. These certainly seem bad," Twilight admitted, wondering if everypony's fears were well founded after all. Despite how it looked, she still held onto hope that it wasn't as bad as it seemed, "But, who knows? I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for all of this. Maybe she's just making soup."

Zecora brought her snout close to her cauldron and gave a big whiff to the concoction, "Ah, the perfect temperature for ponies, I presume. Now, where are Sora and Apple Bloom?"

Twilight gasped in pure horror, "Or maybe she's making foal stew!"

"We gotta get in there!" Rainbow Dash yelled, flopping on the ground. She rushed forward and burst through the door. Zecora stopped her incantations as the cyan mare bounced around the room, knocking over masks and other trinkets. The zebra was more than surprised that this was happening.

"What have you done with our friends?!" Twilight and the others soon barged into the room as well, all glaring at the zebra. While Zecora was under scrutiny, Rainbow Crashed into the cauldron, tipping it over and spilling it's contents. Zecora looked at the spilled brew with disdain and horror.

"No! You know not what you do!" She screamed, "You've gone and spilled my precious brew!"

"We're onto you Zecora," Twilight, with Applejack still atop her head, stepped up to Zecora, "I didn't want to believe that you cursed us, but the evidence is overwhelming!"

"You made me look ridiculous," Rarity pointed a hoof at the zebra.

"You made me sound ridiculous!" Fluttershy uncharacteristically glared at Zecora.

"[You made me speak ridiculous!]" Pinkie accused as well, not that anyone understood her.

"You ruined my horn!" Twilight fired.

"How dare you!" Zecora shot back, "You destroy my home, destroy my work, then rudely accuse me of being a jerk?

"You put this curse on us, now you're gonna uncurse us!" Rainbow Dash demanded. Zecora was seething with anger under all of this accusations.

"It is unwise to venture down this road," She warned, getting into a head lock with Twilight, "Your actions will make my anger explode!"

"Out with it, witch!" Applejack spouted, "What did you do with Sora and Apple Bloom?"

"Hey Zecora, we're back!" Came a colt's voice. Twilight eased her muscles and broke out of the head lock when she saw two foals at the front door. It was Sora and Apple Bloom, they were fine! Sora still had his over sized saddlebags on. When the two saw the state of Zecora's house, the two of them widened their eyes, "Hey, what happened? Why are you all here?"

Applejack gasped, jumping off Twilight's head and onto the table with Sora's clothes, "Sora, Apple Bloom! Yer okay!"

"Of course we are," Sora puffed up his chest, "Why wouldn't we be okay?"

"Because Zecora's an evil enchantress who placed a curse on us," Twilight answered awkwardly. After she said that, the purple unicorn realized how ridiculous that sounded. Twilight felt felt even more silly when Zecora, Sora and Apple Bloom all burst out into laughter.

"C'mon, Twilight, you said there's no such thing as curses, right," Sora teased. While looking at her friend, Twilight just only now realized something: colt Sora was absolutely adorable.

"Sora," Twilight was still processing what was happening, "You can't just stand there and tell being turned back into a colt isn't a curse," She was met with another round of chortling.

"It ain't a curse," Apple Bloom affirmed. Zecora tapped on Twilight's side to gain her attention.

"If you will remember back, the words I spoke were quite exact."

_"Beware, beware you pony folk. Those leaves of blue are not a joke."_

That was what Zecora said, but it was far too cryptic to understand her meaning.

"She was warnin' ya'll," Apple Bloom elaborated, "About that blue plant. It's called Poison Joke."

"That plant is much like poison oak," Zecora further explained, "But its results are like a joke."

"What in the hay does that mean?" Applejack could not understand Zecora's unique way of forming sentences.

"It means this plant does not breed wrath. Instead this plant just wants a laugh."

"Will somepony please talk normal?" The farm mare pleaded.

"I think what she's saying is that when we ran into Sora yesterday, we ran into the poison joke," Everything was starting to become clear, "All our problems are just little jokes it played on us."

"Little jokes?!" Applejack repeated, "Very funny," Even Sora had to lightly glare at Twilight for that comment.

"Okay, fine. But what about the cauldron?" Rainbow questioned.

"She was preparing a bath for the cure," Sora said. He crossed his fore-hooves, miffed that the brew was knocked over, "She was going to make me big again."

"Wait, that was a bath?" Twilight repeated.

"Yeah, me and Sora were collecting herbs for a remedy that cures poison joke," Apple Bloom explained, motioning to Sora's saddlebags. Twilight shook her head in disbelief.

"But I tried to find a cure in all my books and couldn't find anything," The purple unicorn revealed, "What book has this natural remedy?"

"Here is the book, you see?" Zecora presented to Twilight a very familiar looking book, Supernaturals, "Sad that you lack it in your library," Twilight winced in embarrassment.

"Actually, I do have this book, but I didn't look inside," Twilight opened the cover where she saw the full title, "Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-alls That Are Simply Super," Twilight felt very silly for overlooking something that was right in front of her. More than that, Twilight felt guilty that she assumed Zecora was evil, "I...I... I'm so sorry, Zecora. I had the answer the whole time, if only I had bothered to look inside."

"Maybe next time you will take a second look, and not judge the cover of the book," The mares all looked to the ground in guilt. They had indeed judged Zecora based purely on superficial prospects. They never tried to get to know her. Tuns out she was a very neighborly individual.

"Zecora? Would you be kind enough to mix up another batch of the herbal bath?" Twilight asked. Her horn was floppy all day and she wanted to get it back to normal.

"Mix it up I certainly will," Zecora agreed, "Yet I am missing an herb from Ponyville."

"But whenever Zecora comes to town, the shops are always closed," Sora said. Twilight could see why that was.

"Oh, well... I think we can take care of that," Twilight assured.

—

After acquiring the proper herbs at the market, the group reconvened at the Ponyville spa. It took some convincing, but Twilight managed to convince the staff to use their facilities for Zecora's recipe. A tub was prepared so that Zecora could place in the ingredients collected by Sora and Apple Bloom. The tub was big enough for multiple ponies to enter. Zecora mixed together the treatment so that the afflicted could receive treatment. When the mares entered the tub, the effects were almost immediate. The effects of the poison joke disappeared, bringing the mares back to their original selves.

"Ahh," Rarity was enjoying herself in this relaxing remedy, "I could get use to this."

"Alright, Sora, it's yer turn," Apple Bloom turned to Sora, who had yet to be cured. The caramel colt blushed, "What's wrong?"

"Um..." Sora fiddled with his little hooves, "I really shouldn't get in a bath with a bunch of girls," He said awkwardly.

"Oh for pony's sake," Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. Deciding to take matters into her own hooves, Apple Bloom trotted behind Sora and gave him a forceful shove. Sora yelped in surprise and fell into the remedy, disappearing with a splash. The mares looked at the spot Sora fell in with anticipation. Sora did pop out from underneath the water, back to his normal teenage self.

"Yes! I'm big again!" Sora threw his hooves up to the air in victory. Something then occurred to him as he reverted back to his appropriate age. Looking around the tub, a certain country mare was missing, "Wait, where's A.J?" The mares all gasped in fear, wondering if they accidentally sat on her.

"Ah'm down here!" Called Applejack in her normal tone of voice. The ponies in the tub looked over the edge to Find Applejack. She was given a smaller tub to bath in. Now that she was big again, her posterior was humorously stuck in the small bowl.

"Good to see you aren't tiny anymore," Sora complimented.

"Yeah, and ah see yer not a colt anymore," She said in jest. Sora chuckled. He was in very good spirits right now. While the ponies were conversing with each other, one of of the spa ponies addressed Zecora.

"Miss Zecora, I would love to get the recipe for this bath," She requested, "It's simply luxurious!"

"Well, I certainly learned something today," Twilight commented.

"Really, what?" Sora turned to her.

"I learned that I should never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary. But you need to look past that and learn who he or she is inside. Real friends don't care what your "cover" is; it's the "contents" of a pony that count. And a good friend, like a good book, is something that will last forever," Sora smiled at Twilight.

_"That's a really good lesson,"_ Sora thought, _"Maybe I should take that to heart. It certainly would've saved me alot of stress."_

Sora felt so relieved when he discovered that Zecora's eyes weren't actually yellow. He remembers the conversation they had together quite clearly.

—

_"Y-your eyes..." Sora said._

_"Hold on, I remember you one who is small," She said, "When I saw you yesterday, you were quite tall," Sora, remembering that he was currently a colt, blushed. Zecora chuckled at his bashfulness, "You seem to be quite shy. Don't worry, I'm not a bad guy."_

_"Um... miss Zecora," Apple Bloom caught the zebra's attention, "We wanted to talk to you about what happened. Why Sora's a colt and all that. And the others too."_

_"Oh, I know what the problem is here," Zecora gave a curt nod, "Follow me, my home is quite near," She turned her frame and began to trot towards her home. Apple Bloom followed after her. Sora, however, needed to get something cleared up._

_"Hold on," Sora requested. Zecora and Apple Bloom stopped in their tracks. With her undivided attention, "When I saw you yesterday, you had yellow eyes. Why was that?" Zecora scratched her head in confusion._

_"I do not know what you mean," She admitted, "Perhaps it was a trick you had seen," Sora's pupils shrunk._

_"Ah don't remember Zecora having yellow eyes, Sora," Apple Bloom shared. Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing._

_"You mean, I just imagined it," Sora did not know how to respond. He simply held his wayfinder tighter._

_"Do not fret he with the spiky hair," Zecora put a hoof to Sora's chin, giving the colt a supportive smile, "Perhaps there is something you wish to share."_

_Sora turned his head away, "I don't want to. It's too painful," Apple Bloom looked at Sora with clear concern._

_"I see, your business is your own," Zecora responded, "But despair I cannot condone," She raised Sora's chin so that he could look into her soft eyes, "Your fears are eating your heart. Letting go is a good start," Sora considered her strange wisdom. Maybe she was right, maybe he shouldn't let his fears control him. He was not sure if he could do it, but he could at least try._

_"Thank you," Sora told Zecora, "You cheer me up," Sora suddenly sprang onto Zecora with a hug. The zebra blinked in surprise, then she reciprocated the hug. Apple Bloom joined in on the hug as well. Sora felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders, he was glad to have made a new friend like Zecora._

_After they broke their hug, Sora took another glance at his wayfinder before putting it back into his saddlebags, "So, you can cure me, right?"_


	12. Suited for Success

Ten days followed after the poison joke incident. During that time, Zecora started to appear in town more often without the populace feeing in terror, but she still mostly stayed in her little hut in the forest. Because of Apple Bloom's disobedience during the whole affair, Sora and Applejack decided the little filly would be grounded for a week. Apple Bloom voiced her protests, but her arguments were shot down.

Only one major event happened occurred during this time, though event would be stretching it. Apparently, Pinkie had this sixth sense that she dubbed her "Pinkie Sense," a series of body spasms that would inform her when a specific event would happen. Twilight, being the analytical unicorn that she is, wanted to know everything about how the Pinkie sense worked. Despite her hardest to understand it, Twilight could not figure out how the Pinkie Sense worked. After a string of failures, a piano dropping on her head, and an encounter with a Hydra, Twilight gave up and just accepted to not question Pinkie's strange powers.

"What?! You're not going to adapt Feeling Pinkie Keen?!"

What? How did you..?

"Are you really asking that question? This is me we're talking about."

Right... Forth wall breaking... Anyway, no, I am glancing over Feeling Pinkie Keen. I don't think there is much there for Sora to interact with.

"Come on! Are you forgetting the Hydra?! That is a primo Olympus Coliseum throwback right there!"

Olympus Coliseum gets enough attention from the games.

"Oh, I get it, are ya gonna glance over Cerberus too?!"

Be quiet! Look, I'll say that Sora fought off the Hydra during that point so that you and Twilight could escape. Will that make you happy?

"Maybe..."

Close enough, I guess. Now stick to the script. Anyway, today, Rarity met Sora in the marketplace earlier as he was selling apples at a stand the Apple family owned. The fashionista requested that Sora visit her shop later on once he was done selling apples. Sora agreed, but when he asked Rarity what she wanted him for, she only replied with "It's a surprise." Now Sora really wanted to know what she wanted.

When he was done in town, the caramel pegasus returned the stand back to the farm, where Applejack gave him his weekly pay. He did not feel comfortable accepting pay from the Apples, considering that he was also living under their roof, but Applejack was insistent on paying him. His his money tucked away in his saddlebags, Sora made his way over to Carousel Boutique. It always felt weird for him to enter the shop, it was a bit too girly for his taste.

"Hey, Rarity," Sora graciously greeted. Sora noticed something different about Rarity today. She was wearing a new accessory Sora had not seen before, a pair of red reading glasses.

"Sora, right on time darling," Rarity replied. Sora trotted forward, taking note of a red cloth that was concealing a fairly large object in the room. Aside from that, Sora also noticed something he had never seen before. Sitting off to the side was a white furred persian cat with a wide face and a bushy tail. It was also wearing a purple bow atop it's head.

"Say, Rarity, I didn't know you had a pet cat," Sora pointed to the sleeping ball of fluff not too far away. Rarity turned herself to the cat, suddenly realizing that she's never shown her pet to Sora.

"Oh, this is Opalescence," Rarity introduced her pet, "Opal, say hi," the cat looked up and viewed Sora with an uninterested gaze. The caramel pegasus waved at the cute little kitten, but she thought nothing of it. Opal yawned and curled back into her nap. An awkward silence pervaded in the room, so much that the sound of a needle dropping would have been heard. Sora felt like a fool for waving so erratically, while Rarity was not sure what to say seeing such a cold rejection.

"Um, so Rarity," Sora desperately wanted to shift the subject, "You wanted to talk to me?" The fashion pony was glad that Sora broke the silence in the room.

"Yes, I wanted to discuss with you the Grand Galloping Gala," Rarity said, "It is coming up, after all."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that," Sora did remember. That big party that was due in a month and a half from now. Celestia personally gave him a ticket to the event during his first week in Equestria. Sora also remembered that the princess thought he would make the event interesting, whatever that meant, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I want to talk about what you will be wearing for the event," Rarity elaborated. Sora arched his eyebrows. Clothing was not something he ever considered.

"I was kinda just going to wear my normal clothes," Sora told her. The marshmallow unicorn's pupils shrunk, reacting as if Sora said something outlandish.

"Sora, you can't go to the Gala dressed in those clothes!" Rarity screeched. The caramel pegasus flinched back in shock at Rarity's outburst. Sora blinked a few times before he made his response.

"What, are my clothes not good or something?" Rarity reeled back when she heard him ask that.

"Oh nonononononono," She shook her head, "You misunderstand me. Sora, darling, your clothes are magnificent, but they still invoke a sense of casual wear, not suited for a setting like the Grand Galloping Galla. You need something more formal to wear," Sora considered what Rarity was telling him. She seemed to know what she was talking about, but he didn't have any formal wear on standby.

"Okay, but, I don't have any other clothes besides these," Sora informed Rarity. The marshmallow mare put a hoof to her mouth to stifle a chuckle.

"Very true," She spoke, "Luckily for you, I've cooked up just the thing," Rarity trotted over to the object with the red cloth draped over it. Enveloping the cloth in her magic aura, Rarity lifted it away to reveal what was underneath. Rarity's dramatic flair revealed a neatly sewn tuxedo resting on a pony-shaped stand in. This suit was unlike most other tuxedos Sora has seen (which wasn't saying much but still). The jacket and pants were pitch black in color, yet there were grayish highlights on the shoulders and pockets. The front flaps of the jacket were red in color and held together with golden buttons. The same buttons were also used to hold the cuffs together. The undershirt was a lighter shade of gray, adorned with a neat red bow tie at the neck. Finishing the ensemble was a bright heart-shaped, red rose on the breast of the jacket.

Rarity proudly stood by the garments as Sora looked with intense interest. The way Rarity presented the clothes, Sora came to a single conclusion, yet he felt the need to ask anyway.

"Is this for me?" Sora asked.

"Well of course they are, darling," Rarity answered with a wide smile, "This is why I called you over here, so I could personally present this to you," Rarity stroked the fabric of the suit, "I tried my hardest to capture the aesthetic of your attire while maintaining the proper form of a suit. I didn't want to compromise your style with a garment too drastic of a change for you. Besides, your aesthetic translates perfectly into a tuxedo, wouldn't you agree?"

Sora did not exactly follow what Rarity was talking about, but he nodded anyway, "When did you make this?"

"Just recently, actually," Rarity answered, "Yesterday, Twilight and Applejack visited my shop when we began to talk about the Gala. You should have seen the horrid dress Twilight was planning to wear for the event. And Applejack, she was going to wear her 'work duds!' In that moment, I was struck with a brilliant idea, I would create dresses for all my friends for the Grand Galloping Gala! Though, in your case I made you a suit."

"Rarity, you didn't have to go through all that trouble," Sora said, surprised that she would do something like this on a whim.

"Of course I had to!" Rarity stated, "I was more than happy to make outfits for Everypony. Oh please do tell me what you think. I want nothing more than your honest opinion!"

Sora looked over at the suit on the pony-quin once more. Sora knew next to nothing about clothes. He just sort of used them. Still, it seemed like Rarity worked very hard to make this suit, given how fancy it looked.

"I think it looks really good," Sora answered, unsure what he should really be praising, "You put alot of effort into this, didn't you?"

"Well of course, darling," Rarity affirmed, holding her head up in pride, "I make sure every garment is made with a hundred and ten percent love and care. I would never be satisfied with something half-baked. It just simply wouldn't do."

"That's really awesome," Sora complimented with a smile. Rarity put a hoof over her muzzle.

"Oh, you are too kind, Sora," She expressed her gratitude, "Since we are on the subject, I would very much love to see how you look in these garments," Rarity used her magic to undo the clothes of the pony-quin and levitate them over to Sora.

"Okay, sure," The caramel pegasus replied with a nod, outstretching his hoof so that Rarity could place the clothes on it, "Uh, where can I go change?"

"Right over there, darling," Rarity pointed to a nearby red curtain. Sora nodded in appreciation and trotted behind the curtain, pulling it so that it obscured him. The caramel pegasus fiddled around changing for a good long while. When Sora finally emerged from behind the curtain, it was clear that something was not right. Rarity furrowed her brow at his neckline. His bow tie was not tied properly, it looked like some poorly tied knot.

"Sora, that is not how one ties a bow," Rarity pointed out. That sloppy work was utterly destroying the otherwise fantastic aesthetic. Sora could only sheepishly laugh in response.

"Sorry, I'm not good with this sorta thing," He admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Allow me, darling," The fashionista enveloped the bow with her magic and undid the terrible job Sora did. With great skill, Rarity properly tied the bow the way it looked on the pony-quin. With the bow properly applied, Rarity took a step back to view Sora's appearance, now he looked like a true gentleman, "My word, I always knew you had a knack for fashion, but who knew you could make a tux work so well."

"You really think I look that good?" Sora asked, blushing at the praise he was receiving.

"Oh, but of course," Rarity reaffirmed, fluttering her eyelashes at Sora, "I'd be surprised if all the mares at the Gala won't be swooning over you," Sora blushed at the mental image of a bunch of girls falling for him.

"Well, it is your work, so I can't take all the credit," Sora smiled at her.

"And so modest," Rarity smiled back at him. Sora's smile seemed to have an effect on others, an effect that made them curl their lips up as well. With a flick of her horn, Rarity magically lifted Opal in front of Sora, which brought more than a few shrieks of protest from the cat, "Oh, Opal, isn't he just the spitting image of a gentle-colt?" Sora winced at the uttering of the word 'colt.' Almost two weeks later and he was still embarrassed by that whole debacle. Opal hissed and started swinging her claws wildly, prompting Sora to leap back in surprise before he was slashed.

"Opal!" Rarity scolded her kitty, gently dropping her to the ground, "That was very rude of you!" Opal took no heed and grumpily walked off, Rarity glaring at her pet as she did so, "I'm so very sorry, Sora, she's usually not like this."

"Don't worry, it's okay," Sora tried to console her, "Say, did you make clothes for the others already?" He asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.

"I have the other's dresses on the second floor," Rarity happily answered the question, then she suddenly became giddy with excitement, "Do you want to see them?"

"Yeah!" Sora replied eagerly. He loved to see what designs Rarity came up with. From the sounds of things, these Gala dresses seemed really special.

"Come with me, then!" Rarity led the caramel pegasus up the stairs to her work room. When Sora entered the room, he noticed that there were sewing materials strung around on the floor, making the room appear unkempt, but the mess was not what he was focused on.

In the room were five dresses on pony-quins. One was a light blue gown with star patterns on the hem, silver sparkles, a high back collar, and a star headpiece. One dress was compromised of a leather saddle with an attached green skirt that ended in leather straps. Along with the dress were green boots and a brown stetson decorated with apple motifs. The third dress had a skirt that was comprised of all the colors of the rainbow with fluffy trimming. The dress was paired with golden shoes as well as a feather-like headpiece. Another dress had a more floral design: a green skirt adorned with a blue sash and flowers at the hem, paired with a butterfly headpiece. The final dress was pink, adorned with white frills at the waistline, a pink ribbon at the breast, toped together with a white cap adorned with a bow.

"Wow!" Sora hovered around the room, surveying the dresses Rarity made, "These are incredible!"

"Do you really think so?" Rarity could hardly contain her giddiness seeing Sora's reaction to her work.

"Absolutely!" Sora replied. Sora surveyed the dresses once again. Looking over the aesthetics of each gown, he saw how they fit the personalities of Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. However, there was one more gown that should be here but was not.

"Hey, Rarity, where's your dress?" Sora questioned.

"Well, I just haven't made it yet," The marshmallow pony answered plainly.

"Really? Why's that?" It did not make much sense to Sora that Rarity would not make her own dress.

"I've been focusing my energy on everypony else's attire," Rarity explained, "I can't make something for myself when my talents are better served for somepony else."

"Wow, that's really awesome, Rarity," Sora complimented, pleased that he knew someone as generous as Rarity, _"I guess she's the Element of Generosity for a reason."_

"Your words are appreciated, Sora," The fashionista voiced her thanks, "And here's the best part, these dresses are going to be displayed at a fashion show I will be hosting! Isn't that exciting!"

"That is exciting!" Sora reaffirmed. He was barely knowledgeable when it came to clothing, but seeing Rarity happy brought a smile to his face. The marshmallow unicorn brushed her hoof. Something took hold of Rarity in that moment, something that caused her face to drown into worry.

"Still, I wonder if the others will love these dresses," Rarity voiced her thoughts with a hint of concern.

"Of course they will," Sora assured her with a smile, "After all, you worked really hard on them," Rarity looked over to the caramel pegasus. Somehow, that wide smile of his was all the reassurance she needed.

"Oh, I'm absolutely brimming with confidence now!" Rarity squealed in delight, "I must show the others their dresses now! Sora, would you be a dear and fetch them for me. I must see to cleaning up

"And do please change back when you leave," Rarity requested, "We wouldn't want your suit to get dirty now would we?" Sora nodded. He forgot that he was still wearing his new formal attire, and it did not have the same durability enchantments his regular clothes had. Accidentally damaging it would be very disrespectful of him.

Sora changed back into his regular clothes, laying the pieces of his suit on top of the pony-quin, and raced out the door to find the mares.

—

"There just through here, remember to keep your eyes closed," Sora led the five mares up to the second floor of Carousel Boutique, instructing them to keep their eyes closed when they entered the work room, all the girls carrying anticipating smiles. Sora could hardly wait to see their reactions to the beautiful dresses Rarity made for them, "Okay, open them!" Sora instructed when the mares entered. All of them released the hold of their eye lids. Their anticipation turned into shock.

"These are your new outfits," Rarity proudly presented the dresses to the surprised mares," What do you think of your old duds now, Applejack? Pretty swanky, are they not? And Twilight! I made this dress for you and I designed each outfit theme to perfectly reflect each pony's unique personality. Oh, it took me forever to get the colors right on this one, Rainbow Dash, but I did it. Oh, and it turned out beautiful, don't you think? And I know you are going to love yours, Fluttershy. It just sings spring! And Pinkie Pie, look! Pink! Your favorite! Aren't they all amazing?"

Rarity's question was met with silence. The mares were critically inspecting the gowns. Pinkie looked her cress while tilting her head at a ninety degree angle.

"Well, they're certainly... something," Twilight relayed almost apprehensively.

"I like something!" Pinkie Pie forced, "Something's my favorite!"

Rarity's face fell. Her friends did not like their new dresses, "Wh-what, you really don't think they're good?"

"N-no, these are great," Twilight consoled with a forced smile.

"And we're plum grateful that you made these for us," Applejack added.

"It's just, not what I personally was expecting," Twilight finished.

"Yeah, I was kinda hoping for something different," Rainbow threw in. The rest of the mares nodded their heads in agreement.

Rarity looked as though all of her dreams were crushed in a single blow. Sora took note of Rarity's solemn expression. Seeing the hard working fashionista like this made Sora feel terrible for making her too hopeful. Almost immediately, the marshmallow pony straightened her face into an expression more fierce.

"That's quite alright!" Rarity declared, "I'll just have to make sure I do better next time. I'll make a new set of gowns for you all."

"Oh, Rarity, you don't have to do that," Fluttershy tried to dissuade.

"Nonsense, darling," Rarity continued, "I'll make sure that all of your dresses are up to your standards," Rarity levitated the gowns off of the pony-quins, no longer seeing any use for them.

"Really? Thanks Rarity," Twilight voiced her appreciation.

"Sora, would you kindly take these downstairs?" Rarity addressed the down-trodden pegasus, using her magic to neatly fold the dresses, which she then stacked on top of Sora's back. The weight was no issue for the caramel pegasus, but his spirits were struck very hard.

"Sorry to get your hopes up, Rarity," Sora apologized. He assured her that the others would love their dresses, but that did not come to pass.

"Sora, it's quite alright," Rarity brushed off. She was trying to show that she was fine, but her tone of voice expressed to Sora that she was disappointed, "I'm more than fine with making new dresses to suit my friend's desires. Don't worry about me, you just go about your day when you drop the dresses downstairs."

"Alright, sure thing," Sora agreed, trotting downstairs to drop off the dresses on a nearby table. Sora took another look at Rarity's work; they were such beautiful dresses, it was a shame that they wouldn't be used. At least Rarity would be able to make new dresses.

—

Things were relatively normal over the next two days. Applejack wasn't at the farm as often. She was likely off helping Rarity design the former's new dress. So Sora spent most of his time working on the farm or playing with Apple Bloom. Right now, Sora was trotting through town, wondering what he should be doing before the fashion show tonight.

"Sora!" Called a familiar voice. The caramel pegasus turned around to find a familiar little dragon running up to him.

"Hey, Spike," Sora greeted, "What's up?"

"I got awesome news," Spike was clearly excited, making Sora wonder what the fuss was about, "You ever heard of a guy called Hoity Toity?"

"Hoity Toity..?" The tone of Sora's voice relayed that he had never heard of that name before, _Hoity Toity sure is the strangest pony name I've heard so far."_

"Hoity Toity is this big shot fashion pony in Canterlot," Spike explained, "He heard about the fashion show Rarity's holding."

"Really..?" Sora questioned.

"Well, maybe I happened to mention it to him..." Spike admitted, "Still, he's coming all the way from Canterlot to see her work!"

Sora considered what that meant. If the fashion show was a success, "This could get Rarity a major boost to her business."

"I know, right?" Spike affirmed, "I gotta go, Sora. I still need to help out with the preparations," The little drake ran past Sora, leaving him to his thoughts.

"I hope Rarity's new dresses are really good," Sora thought out loud. He still did not know what to expect for the show tonight.

—

Night time arrived. A runway was set up in town for the fashion show. Sora had a front row seat in the audience. It seems as though the entire town arrived for this event. Further off, Sora saw a dark grey earth pony stallion with a poofy silver mane and tail. This stallion wore a white collar and white shoes on his fore-hooves to add to his posh appearance.

_"That must be Hoity Toity,"_ Sora thought, taking notice of the purple sun glasses the earth pony wore, _"Who wears sunglasses at night?"_ Sora did not have time to ponder that little tidbit as lights began to rain down on the audience, upbeat music playing in the background.

"Since the beginning of time," Spike spoke through a microphone, "The elite of Equestria have longed for pony fashions that truly expressed the essence of their very souls. Patiently waiting decades—no, centuries—for the perfect pony gown. Today, at long last, Equestria, your wait is over!"

_"Way to ham it up, Spike..."_

"Let's hear it for the breathtaking designs of Ponyville's own Rarity!"

The curtains opened, the spotlight revealing the five mares in their newly designed dresses. Sora could not help but gasp in shock. The dresses that were displayed for the crowd were unlike anything they had ever seen.

Those dresses were the most horrendous dresses the crowd had ever seen. Twilight wore a full body dark purple skirt with constellations etched onto the fabric. Atop her head was a headband that had stars topped above. Rainbow Dash's dress looked more like a suit of armor with a gold and rainbow motif. The helmet she wore looked like it was swept up by a strong gust of wind. Fluttershy had a bird's nest on her head. Her dress had a hideous green and pink polka dot pattern and a neckline that looked like Fluttershy poked her head out of a red flower. Applejack wore a bright red tall stetson, a denim skirt that looks like it was made out of a quilt, and horribly clashing yellow work boots. Pinkie wore on her head a giant teal cupcake with a cherry on top. Her dress' bodice was green while her skirt was a teal tutu. She also had balloons on strings tied to her tail to add to the ridiculousness.

The mares all ran down the walkway, full of confidence, unaware that the audience was cringing in disgust at these designs. Sora in particular twisted his face in utter disgust at these horrendous dresses, wondering if it was Rarity who really made those. Clearly, the five mares did not have the same eye for aesthetic that Rarity did. When the mares reached the end of the runway, they stood with full confidence. Slowly but surely, the mares began growing conscious of the way the crowd was looking at them.

"Why is everypony lookin' at us like that?" Applejack asked.

Twilight looked over the crowd, particularly at Sora, whose face suggested that he was embarrassed to know the ponies on stage. Taking another look at her dress, Twilight realized that it looked much better in her head, "Oh dear..."

"Do ya think we overdid it?" Rainbow whispered.

"Nonsense," Applejack denied, but a quick look at her clashing yellow boots made her reconsider, "Okay, maybe we did..."

"These designs are horrendous," Hoity Toity criticized harshly, "A haphazard amalgamation of everything except the kitchen sink," Sora could not argue against that point. He felt embarrassed for Rarity, so much so that he subconsciously lifted his hood over his head, "These are simply the worst designs I have ever seen! Who is responsible for subjecting our eyes to these atrocities? Not to mention wasting my valuable time."

"Come on out and take a bow, Rarity," Spike announced, seemingly unaware of what was really happening, "You worked really hard for this!"

Rarity slowly trotted down the runway, the stoplight raining down on her for all to see. She looked terrible, her mane was shriveled, her eyes were heavy, and her head was lagging. When Sora looked at her, she displayed only one emotion on her lowered face: shame. She received no applause (aside from an oblivious Spike). She only accepted her place as the fool. Sora began wondering, how different would everything be if Rarity's original dresses were used instead.

—

"Rarity, come on. Please come out," Sora knocked on the door to Rarity's bedroom. With him were Twilight and Rainbow. It was noon the next day and Rarity refused to leave her room

"I'm never coming out!" Rarity sobbed dramatically. She was laying on her bed in her pink robe, her mane a total mess. Wrapped in her hooves was Opalescence, who was not appreciative of her master's embrace, "I can't show my face in Ponyville ever again! I used to be somepony. I used to be respected. I made dresses. Beautiful, beautiful dresses! But now everypony is laughing at me. I'm nothing but a laughing stock!" She sobbed even louder.

"You're not a laughing stock, Rarity..." Sora tried to console, but even he did not believe those words, _"Those were the worst clothes I've ever seen in my life, no way anyone is forgetting those."_

"She kind of is," Rainbow Dash bluntly stated, earning her a glare and a slap in the back of the head courtesy of Twilight.

"Rarity, come on out and talk to us," Twilight requested.

"Leave me alone!" Rarity cried, "I want to be alone! I want to wallow in..." Rarity stopped herself, her mind was drawing a complete blank right now, "Whatever it is that ponies are supposed to wallow in! Do ponies wallow in pity? Oh, listen to me, I don't even know what I'm supposed to wallow in! I'm so pathetic!"

Seeing as how they could not convince Rarity to exit her room at this time, the three ponies exited the building, where Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were waiting.

"Now what do we do?" Twilight asked out of some form of obligation.

"Panic?" Fluttershy suggested.

"That's your answer for everything," Rainbow pointed out, earning her another round of glares. Sora was not paying attention to the current conversation. He felt angry, angry at the mares for what happened.

"I can't believe all of you!" Sora spouted. The mares flinched back in shock at how much he raised his voice, "Are you all happy with yourselves?!"

"Why are you angry all of a sudden?" Rainbow Dash went on the defensive.

"Do you have any idea how hard Rarity worked to make those dresses for you?!" Sora spat, "She put her heart and soul into them and that wasn't enough for you!"

"I mean, our ideas weren't that bad..." Pinkie attempted to justify, but she did not seem at all convinced herself that was true.

"Those dresses were awful!" Sora yelled. Despite his less than appealing tone of voice, the mares could not argue with that statement, "You should've just went her designs, then none of this would've happened!"

"Okay, so we went overboard," Applejack admitted, shifting her gaze away from the fuming pegasus.

"Ya think?" Sora continued his verbal onslaught, "You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

"Sora!" Twilight demanded his attention with her outburst, "We get it."

That statement seemed to have an effect on Sora. Sighing in exhaustion, the caramel pegasus lowered his angry expression into a more sad one. He did not speak for a good few seconds, not until he calmed himself down. After almost hurting Apple Bloom two weeks ago, the last thing Sora wanted to do was snap again. The mares waited with baited anticipation before Sora spoke again.

"Sorry... Look, I know it's probably not my place to say, but Rarity's heart is hurt. All that she worked for was for nothing... That's not a pleasant feeling at all," Sora sighed in dejection. Twilight critically examined Sora. The way he spoke those words, it suggested to her that he understood that feeling exactly. There was so much about this pegasus that she still did not know, but she was afraid of initiating a conversation about his past in the fear that it would spark some sort of trauma. Twilight started to consider what would happen if all her studies would amount to nothing. That would probably emotionally destroy her.

"I feel awful about this," Twilight drooped her ears in disappointment, disappointment at herself, "Sora's right, we should have just went with Rarity's original dresses," There was a collective feeling of agreement permeating from the group. They all held their heads down in sadness.

"What are you all doing standing here then?" Sora addressed the group. All eyes were on him as he asserted control of the conversation, "If you really feel sorry, then do something about it! Show Rarity how sorry you are!"

"Rarity won't talk to us," Pinkie Pie pointed out, "Pretty soon, she'll be a crazy cat lady!"

"She only has one cat," Applejack remarked.

"Give her time," Pinkie replied.

Twilight considered what Sora was saying. Rarity would be miserable for the rest of her life unless something was done. What could possibly break Rarity out of her spell? Twilight considered the options that were currently present. Considering what she knew about Rarity, one idea seemed an especially good one.

"Everpony," Twilight announced, silently demanding the other's attention, "I have an idea."

—

"Exile..." Rarity looked at herself in the mirror, wondering what her future held in store, "I guess technically I'd have to move away to live in exile. Where would I go? And what would I pack? Oh, it's going to take me forever to do all of that packing. What are you supposed to pack when you go to exile? Are you supposed to pack warm?" Rarity stopped her rambling when she heard her door open behind her. The former fashion pony twisted her frame to see a cheerful Sora standing at her open door frame.

"Sora?!" She shrieked, "How in the world did you get in here?! The door was locked!" Rarity paused for brief moment as a thought occurred to her, "Oh right—Keyblade. Still, what are you doing here?"

"I've got something to show you," Sora stated, excitement evident in his tone of voice.

"Oh, Sora, leave me be!" Rarity tilted her head away from Sora as she dramatically threw her hoof up in the air, "You'd do better than to converse with a no-pony like myself!"

"Sorry, Rarity, but I'm not taking no for an answer," Sora responded. Without warning, he flew up to Rarity and scooped her up in his hooves. The forlorn fashion pony shrieked in fright as Sora flew through the shop and out the front door, all the while Rarity was wailing her limbs.

"SORA!" Rarity yelled, "Put me down this instant!" She glared intensely at the caramel pegasus as he obliged to her request, gently placing her down hooves first, "What is the meaning of this wanton abduction?!"

"Well, how else was I gonna show you that?" Sora pointed behind Rarity. The marshmallow pony decided to humor her abductor and turn her head. Her jaw went limp. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stood next to a pony-quin displaying a magnificent dress. It was maroon in color, sporting a poofy skirt with numerous golden sashes. Going along with the dress were glass slippers and a golden tiara. Truly, a gown suitable for a princess. Rarity stumbled her words. She knew exactly what this was.

"We all finished your dress for you!" Twilight announced with a wide smile. Rarity had her mouth wide open in utter bafflement.

"Mostly cause a Fluttershy's freaky knowledge of sewing," Applejack pointed out.

"Do you like it?" The yellow mare asked, blushing at Applejack's comment.

"Like it? Like it?!" Rarity screeched, her eyes twitching, teeth gnashing. Her crazed look made the others very concerned.

"What's wrong, Rarity?" Sora inquired, worried that the marshmallow pony would hate the product, "Do you really not like it?" Rarity ceased her crazed episode and put her face into a more neutral expression.

"No, I don't like it," She said plainly. The others all slumped in disappointment, it seems as though their efforts were all in vain. Suddenly, Rarity pursed her muzzle into a wide and gracious smile, "I LOVE IT!"

That massive burst of pure joy was enough to result in an energetic group cheer. Rarity was now in high spirits, and that made everypony glad.

"You ponies did an amazing job," Rarity complimented, stroking the soft but durable fabric with her hoof, "It's exactly the way I imagined it.

"Well," Twilight explained, levitating a piece of paper that had the dress sketched onto it, "I remembered seeing this sketch when you were working on my second dress. We just followed the design that you made," The purple unicorn let her smile falter a bit, "Something we should have let you do for our outfits. Those first dresses you designed were perfect, but we couldn't see that."

"We're so super sorry," Pinkie offered up the most apologetic smile she could muster.

"You worked really hard to make our dresses exactly the way we wanted them," Rainbow Dash added, rubbing the back of her head in shame, "And we all saw how well that turned out," The mares all gave apologetic glances towards Rarity. The marshmallow pony surveyed her friends, they had run her ragged lately, resulting in the death of her career before it started. Despite that, there was a clear desire to make amends. Who was she to deny such good friends.

"Oh, I forgive you," Rarity chuckled with a brush of her hoof.

"That's really big of you Rarity," Sora complimented. This was great, everyone was making up. Unfortunately, Rarity was still down in spirit.

"That may be, but my whole career is still ruined!" Rarity lamented.

"Oh... yeah," Applejack said. The ponies had forgotten about that little fact. Rarity was now viewed as a failure in the fashion world. The ponies drooped their ears in solemn realization. Sora glanced over at Rarity. She was miserable, that much was clear. The caramel pegasus steeled himself, he would not let Rarity's hard work go to waste.

"Maybe not," He stated, bringing all attention to her, "Hoity Toity might still be in Ponyville. If we can show him a private fashion showcase with Rarity's original dresses, we might be able to save her career."

"Do you think so?" Rarity inquired, hope more than evident on her face.

"Yeah, I'll go get him!" Sora volunteered immediately. The mares eyed him with light surprise.

"Sora, do you even know where to start looking?" Twilight asked, unsure if he knew what he was doing.

"Not really," He admitted, leading to the mares slumping in exasperation, "Look, you girls need to get everything ready. Let me worry about tracking him down."

Rarity eyed Sora critically. She gazed upon those eyes, glazed in determination. Furthermore, the smile he gave told her everything that she needed to know, that he would accomplish his task with full vigor.

"I trust you, Sora," Rarity said, her eyes piercing with fierce determination, "We'll get things ready on this end!"

"Right," Sora affirmed, "Your hard work wont be for nothing, Rarity. I promise," With that, the caramel pegasus dashed away.

—

Sora did some asking around town, learning that Hoity Toity was currently at the train station awaiting the scheduled train to Canterlot. Galloping like his life depended on it, Sora made his way to the train station. When he arrived, he was relieved to see that Hoity had yet to leave.

"Hey, excuse me!" Sora called out to the posh pony. Hoity tilted his head but did not turn around. Sora galloped over to Hoity so that he could talk to him normally, "Hey, are you Hoity Toity?"

"Yes, yes..." The posh pony answered without turning around, "If you wish to wish to admire me, please do so at a suitable distance."

"Listen," Sora flew in front of him, "I just need a small moment of your time, after that, I'll leave you be," Sora did not receive any response for a good few seconds. He could not even read Hoity's expression because of the glasses blocking his pupils.

"I say," Hoity lowered his glasses, revealing eyes full of bewilderment, "Where in Equestria did you get such an avant-garde ensemble?" Sora blinked in bewilderment, not just because Hoity Toity became interested at the drop of a hat, but because the caramel pegasus had no idea what Hoity was talking about.

"I'm sorry, what?" Was all Sora could say.

"You're clothes," Hoity clarified, "Where did you get them?"

"Oh, these?" Sora looked over his jacket. Why was it that the fashion ponies of this world were so interested in his attire? "Well, uh..." Sora had an idea. Now that he had Hoity's attention, the caramel pegasus immediately saw an opportunity, "Actually, I can show you some clothes that are even better!" Sora advertised with pep in his voice.

"Even better, you say?" Hoity rubbed his chin in thought, "Well, my train doesn't arrive for another half hour. I suppose I could afford a small detour."

Sora leapt in to the air in excitement, "Yes!" He cheered. That sudden outburst made Hoity slightly reconsider his agreement, "Right this way!" Sora trotted ahead towards Carousel Boutique with Hoity following behind.

—

The two stallions entered the posh and girly building where they saw Rarity, looking like her normal self, standing atop the runway in the shop.

"Wait a moment," Hoity said apprehensively, "The same designer as before?" Sora began growing nervous. Rarity fearfully waved to him, which resulted in a reaction she was afraid of, "Ugh, I've no interest in seeing anymore failures," the posh pony turned his back and trotted towards the door.

"Wait!" Sora flew in Hoity's path to stop him from leaving, "These are going to be way better, I promise," The caramel pegasus gave his best smile.

With a long winded sigh, Hoity gave his response, "Fine, but I haven't got all day you know," Hoity walked back towards the small runway and sat on his haunches.

"Alright, take two," He said. Rarity took a deep breath to prepare herself. Lighting up her horn, Rarity created a scene of gorgeous stars paired with enchanting music. From the dazzling display appeared Twilight in the original dress Rarity made. She reared up her fore-hooves and posed with grace.

"Hello..." Hoity lowered his glasses, clearly impressed with the gown, "Oh, this can't be the same designer," The music changed into something more rural. The scene also changed into an after image of an apple field. A lasso found itself latching onto one of the apples, where it was pulled into the mouth Applejack, wearing her rural yet formal attire.

"Simply magnificent!" He complimented, "And I suddenly have a fierce craving for some Dutch apple pie, candied apples on a stick, apple turnovers, apple cobbler..." The music became more bouncy and erratic when the scene change into a candy filled environment. There was Pinkie in her dress, munching down on some gumdrops as she reared up her legs cheerfully.

"Brilliant!" Thunder cracked, startling Hoity greatly. The music grew far more bombastic to accompany the more brash setting. Diving onto the stage was Rainbow Dash, whose dress seemed to boost her already strong confidence.

"Oh, spectacular!" The scene began to grow more floral. The music shifted into a more gentle tune to fit with the meek but adorable appearance of Fluttershy, whose dress only added to her cuteness.

"Now this is a fashion show!" Hoity exclaimed, "All of these dresses are absolutely amazing. Who is responsible? Step forward, show yourself!" The music became far more elegant. The spotlight shown down on Rarity, clad in her new attire, displaying a sense of elegance almost never seen before, using her magic to create a dazzling display of lights. Behind her were the others in their gowns as well.

"Brava! Brava! Magnifico! Encore!" Hoity Toity clapped.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!" Rarity welcomed the praise, almost on the verge of tears. Sora was also clapping. That show was even better than he thought it would be. Rarity simply outdid herself.

—

Later that night, Sora again visited Carousel Boutique. Stepping inside, the little bell that accompanied the door rang, alerting Rarity to his presence. The marshmallow unicorn was still wearing her Gala dress.

"Oh, Sora," Rarity said, "What brings you here at this hour?"

"Hey, Rarity," Sora greeted, "I just wanted to check up on you. You're still wearing your new dress?"

"Yes I am," Rarity twirled in place, "This was a gift from my good friends after all. Oh, I've never felt so beautiful in all my life. Won't Prince Blue Blood just love it," Sora almost forgot, Rarity had her eyes at a prince that would be at the Gala.

"I'm glad you feel wonderful, Rarity," Sora voiced his thoughts, "This whole thing must've been tough on you."

"Oh, Sora, you have no idea," Rarity lifted her hoof dramatically, "The past few days were so stressful. Twilight was micro-managing the entire process of making her gown, I almost couldn't keep up with her demands. The others were just as bad, you would not believe the things Fluttershy wanted. And Rainbow Dash," Rarity growled in frustration, a vein appearing on her head, "Rainbow Dash was just the absolute worst customer I have ever had! I asked her what she wanted and she kept giving me vague answers. 'Twenty percent cooler?!' I was close to back-hoofing that mare for how uncooperative and unhelpful she was!" Rarity stopped and began breathing slowly in exhaustion.

Sora looked at Rarity with shrunken pupils, letting her finish her rant, "Wow, you really had it rough lately, didn't you?"

"Oh, it was just dreadful," She said, "But now I have to make a dozen of each gown by next Tuesday!" Rarity looked as though she were about to faint. If only she had a nearby couch.

"Don't worry about it, Rarity" Sora assured, "You're tough," Sora gave her a wide smile. Suddenly, Rarity started to feel better.

"You know, Sora, the others told me how you gave them a stern talking-to this afternoon," Rarity said. Sora felt a wave of emotions wash over him, none of them particularly positive.

"Well, the thing is, I kinda lost my temper," Sora expressed, looking away, "Seeing you so miserable after you worked so hard, that didn't sit right with me. I kinda took out my anger on them. Maybe it wasn't right on me to do that, but—you're my friend, Rarity. I wanna see you succeed."

Rarity put a hoof to her mouth, "Sora, you really are a true gentle-colt," He looked over to Rarity again, "Thinking about the needs of others before your own. I can't think of anything more noble."

The caramel pegasus smiled in pride. It was great that things worked out in the end. Sora suddenly felt a sharp sting in his cheek. His head jerked to the side from the force of a hoof, a hoof from the marshmallow pony in front of him.

"Ooooooowwwwwwww!" Sora overdramatized. Of all the things he expected to happen, Rarity slapping him was not on the table.

"That was for mare-napping me," Rarity stated matter-of-factly. Sora slumped, rubbing his sore cheek. He was caught off guard once again when Rarity wrapped her hooves around him, pulling him into a hug, "This is for everything else. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for what you did today."

Sora felt relaxed, feeling compelled to return Rarity's gesture and hug her back. While being embraced, Sora curiously started thinking about Twilight, _"I bet Twilight learned a pretty valuable friendship lesson after all this."_


	13. Call of the Cutie

Sora opened the door to the Golden Oaks Library to find Twilight sitting down with her back turned to the door and her forehead plastered on her desk.

"Hey, Twilight," Sora greeted. The purple unicorn did not leave her position.

"Go away..." She trailed off.

"C'mon, Twilight, it's been three days since the whole invasion thing. When are you gonna come out?" A few days ago, there was an epidemic in Ponyville involving a swarm of insects called parasprites. They were cute little animals, but they had an insatiable appetite and the ability to multiply quickly. Long story short, Ponyville was almost destroyed. Thankfully Pinkie was able to coerce the swarm with her one-pony band technique so Ponyville was not completely eaten. Still, the experience put a stressful strain on poor Twilight.

"Sora," Twilight responded, "I don't wanna talk about it..."

"Okay then," Sora relinquished, "Still, you're gonna have to leave eventually," Sora left the library, closing the door behind him.

While he was strolling through town in boredom, Sora noticed Apple Bloom trotting a few feet over. The yellow filly looked out of it, her head was hung low and her face was contorted into a sad frown. Sora decided his next course of action, right now Apple Bloom was down and needed cheering up. With his goal in mind, the caramel pegasus trotted over to the sullen filly.

"Hey, Apple Bloom," Sora initiated a conversation, walking adjacent to her.

Apple Bloom acknowledged Sora's presence, "Oh, Sora!"

"Yup, it's me," The caramel pegasus flashed a wide smile as they continued to trot forward. He dropped the smile when he saw that the yellow filly still looked sad about something, "Hey, is there something wrong?"

"Uh... It's nothin' really..." She brushed aside unconvincingly. Sora flew in front of Apple Bloom, blocking her path so she had no choice but to address him fully.

"C'mon, Apple Bloom," Sora ruffled the little filly's mane, "You can tell me. We're friends, aren't we?" Apple Bloom looked at the caramel pegasus, his supportive smile seemed to give her the courage to lay all of her fears down on display.

"Sora, ah really want mah cutie mark!" Apple Bloom glanced at her bare flank as if it was something to be ashamed of.

"Why's that?" He inquired. Apple Bloom sucked in a deep breath.

"There's a cute-ceañera tomorrow and everypony in mah class will be there and they have their cutie marks and ah don't have mine and if ah go to the party without a cutie mark ah'll die of embarrassment so I need to get a cutie mark... Right now!" Sora was hung up on Apple Bloom's tirade. Although, he was hold up on something she said at the beginning while everything else sort of blended in. This something was nagging at the back of his mind so much that he felt the need to ask:

"What's a cute-senairaa?"

Apple Bloom looked at him as if he were a space alien, "Ya'll don't know what a cute-ceañera is?!" Sora could only shake his head to respond, "Ya know, the party ya get when yer cutie mark shows up. Didn't you get a cute-ceañera when yer cutie mark appeared?"

"No, I can't say that I did..." Sora spoke the truth, though he would never reveal why that was.

"Oh... That's too bad..." Apple Bloom trailed off.

"Enough about me," Sora brought the conversation back on track, "Is not having a cutie mark that big of a deal?"

"Of course it is!" Apple Bloom shouted, "If ah don't have a cutie mark, then ah'm not special!" The little filly looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Apple Bloom," Sora sat down and placed his hooves on her shoulders, "Don't you ever say that about yourself! Of course you're special."

"But ah'm not," Apple Bloom was practically crying at this point, "Ah don't know what ah'm good at. What if ah never get mah cutie mark?"

"Listen to me, Apple Bloom," Sora wiped away her tears, "So you don't have your cutie mark now. That just means you still get to discover what you're really good at. Cutie marks are supposed to show your special talent, right? Well, I bet that your talent will be amazing when you finally get your cutie mark!"

"Ya really think so?" Apple Bloom sniffled. Sora gave her a genuine nod. Suddenly, all of Apple Bloom's worries seemed to fade, "Thanks, Sora."

"Don't mention it," He ruffled the filly's mane, causing her to giggle in delight, "C'mon, let's go get some ice cream."

—

The two ponies traveled to Sugarcube Corner, with Apple Bloom ridding piggyback. They both got simple chocolate bars and were currently trotting through Ponyville with treats in hoof.

As Sora trotted on the path, a thought occurred to him, _"Maybe I should tell Pinkie about sea-salt ice cream,"_ She certainly would not pass up an opportunity to make a new delicious treat for everyone to enjoy. Unbeknownst to the Sora and Apple Bloom, two certain ponies were nearby.

Trotting across the road with their heads held up high were two earth pony fillies. The first filly had pink fur, a lilac and white mane and tail, light blue eyes. Atop her head was a silver tiara adorned with numerous diamonds, she had cutie mark depicting this same tiara. The other filly was gray in color, sporting a two toned silver mane that was braided in the back. This filly wore blue rimmed spectacles over her violet eyes and a pearl necklace. Her cutie mark displayed a very ornate spoon made of silver. The gray filly glanced to

"Hey Di," The gray filly nudged her pink friend, "Isn't that the pony we keep hearing about?"

The pink one glanced over to Sora, making her eyes go wide, "Yeah, your right, Silver Spoon. What's his name? Zola?"

"You should go talk to him, Diamond Tiara," Silver Spoon suggested, "Imagine how much more popular we'll be if he shows up at your cute-ceañera."

The filly known as Diamond Tiara considered the suggestion, smiling devilishly, "That's not a bad idea. Everypony seems to like him. I'll just convince him to attend," Diamond Tiara then noticed that Apple Bloom was sitting atop Sora's back. Suddenly, her face contorted into a scowl, "Wait, what's he doing with that blank flank?"

"Who cares?" Silver Spoon advised, "It doesn't matter if he hangs out with blank flanks, he's still popular."

"I guess you could be right," Diamond Tiara admitted. With their goal set, the two fillies approached the ice cream eating ponies.

"Hey you!" Diamond Tiara spoke forcefully. Sora stopped in his tracks and turned his attention to the two fillies approaching him. Apple Bloom saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and her attitude drastically changed; now she became fearful.

"Who, me?" The caramel pegasus asked.

"Yeah, you. Zola is it?"

"Zola? My name's Sora," He corrected.

"Yeah, whatever," Diamond Tiara brushed aside, "Listen, I'm inviting you to my cute-ceañera tomorrow so I expect you to be there."

"Uh... I'm sorry, what?" Sora was having a hard time discerning what Diamond Tiara was saying to him. Was she forcing him to go to a party?

"You daft?" Diamond Tiara insulted, "I said that you should go to my cute-ceañera tomorrow!"

Sora knew one thing for certain, he did not like this filly's attitude at all. Although, when Diamond Tiara mentioned the name of the event, something clicked in his head.

_"Didn't Apple Bloom mention something about a cute-se... Whatever it's called?"_

"Oh and Apple Bloom," Diamond Tiara addressed the yellow filly, who seemed to shrink under the pink one's gaze, "You're welcome to come too, even if you don't have a cutie mark."

"It's not like being the only pony there without a cutie mark would be, like, the most embarrassing thing ever," Silver Spoon taunted.

"Blank flank!" The two of them shouted, bursting into laughter afterward. Apple Bloom, being under scrutiny, huddled behind Sora. The caramel pegasus in question saw this teasing and he reacted accordingly.

"Hey, that's not very nice," Sora scolded, crossing his fore-hooves.

"Yeah, so what?" Diamond Tiara brushed aside his comment.

"Like, having no cutie mark just shows how un-special you are," Silver Spoon argued, "You should really find some better company to hang around, Sora," The two fillies threw mischievous grins Apple Bloom's way. The farm filly wilted even further.

"Bump! Bump! Sugar-lump, rump!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon performed a joint dance where they clapped each other's hooves and then bumped their flanks together, perfectly showing off their cutie marks. Sora was not impressed, he saw how these fillies acted and their actions were not to his liking.

"You don't get to decide who I hang out with!" Sora defiantly stated, "Besides, Apple Bloom is special! So what if she doesn't have her cutie mark? She's still my friend, no matter what."

"Phhht... Whatever," Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, "I'll see both of you tomorrow," With that, she and Silver Spoon trotted off, their snooty dispositions clearly evident.

"Am ah glad they're gone," Apple Bloom seemed alot more comfortable all of a sudden.

"Apple Bloom," Sora addressed his young companion, "Have they been bullying you," He took a shot in the dark.

"Yeah..." She replied timidly, then she continued in a more heated tone of voice, "It's all because ah don't have mah cutie mark! Diamond Tiara thinks she's all special cause she just got hers! She thinks she's better than everypony else. Ah bet she wouldn't tease me if ah had mah cutie mark!"

"Apple Bloom, you can't just let those two push you around like that," Sora said, "They won't leave you alone unless you stand up to them!"

"That's easy for you to say," Apple Bloom replied, "Ah bet you never got picked on."

"Sure I did," Sora responded, causing Apple Bloom's eyes to go wide, "Of course I got picked on. But once I stood up to my bullies, they never bothered me again."

"Wow, that's really something," Apple Bloom said.

_"Maybe I should've told Apple Bloom that Riku drove off those bullies."_

"Ah'm glad yer able to spend the day with me, Sora," Apple Bloom said, a genuine smile on her muzzle.

"Anytime," Sora replied. Just then, something clicked in his brain. Now all of a sudden, Sora was thrown into a panicked state, "OH NO!"

Apple Bloom jumped in surprise from Sora's reaction, almost dropping her ice cream in the process, "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, Apple Bloom, but I just remembered I need to be somewhere," Sora used his wings to lower the yellow filly on the ground.

"Where ya goin'?" She asked.

"Sorry, no time to explain," Sora rushed, "I'll see you later," With that, Sora galloped away, leaving Apple Bloom with with ice cream bar. Now that Sora was gone, Apple Blooms fears seemed to resurface.

"Maybe ah can get mah cutie mark before the party," She thought out loud.

—

**Yesterday**

_"Sora," Rarity said, "Might I have a word with you, darling?"_

_"Sure, what's up?"_

_"Sorry to spring this on you out of nowhere, but I have a favor to ask you," Rarity informed._

_"Okay, what is it?" Sora asked._

_"Well, my parents will be out of town and my little sister is staying with me," Rarity explained._

_"Wait," Sora interrupted, his eyes wide, "You have a little sister?" This was certainly news to Sora._

_"Oh, yes," Rarity realized, "Apologies, I don't think I've ever mentioned Sweetie Belle to you before," She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Anyway, I need to be away Friday afternoon and I need somepony to look after Sweetie Belle for me while I'm away."_

_"Where are you going?" Sora felt the need to ask._

_"It's nothing too serious," Rarity answered, "I just need to be away to assist a client. It's nothing to worry about," That was a sufficient enough answer. Still, there was something that Sora wished to know._

_"Okay, but, why ask me?" Sora crossed his fore-hooves in curiosity, "Is everyone else busy?"_

_Rarity pursed her lips together, "You see, the thing is, Sweetie Belle is a big fan—Of you, I mean."_

_Sora cocked his head to the side in confusion, "She's a fan of me?"_

_"You are quite a talking point among foals, Sora," Rarity said, "The stallion who rescued a filly from a burning building, protected the town from heartless, defeated Nightmare Moon in a duel, among other feats. You're practically a super hero to them," Sora could not help but blush at that remark, "Anyway, I think Sweetie Belle would very much like to spend the afternoon with you."_

_Sora considered the request. It did seem out of nowhere, then again, Rarity does need help. Besides, he would not pass up the chance to make a potential new friend, "Okay, I'll be sure to swing by."_

_"Oh, thank you so much, Sora," Rarity lit up, "This will mean so much to Sweetie Belle."_

—

That was what Sora agreed to. He needed to babysit Rarity's little sister for a short time, and he almost forgot about it. Sora bolted his way towards Carousel Boutique. When he arrived, he took a moment to catch his breath. He opened the door to find Rarity already on the opposite side of the entrance.

"Oh, Sora, you're here," The fashion pony greeted, "I was worried you had forgotten this little play date."

"Of course I didn't forget," Sora lied unconvincingly, to which Rarity caught on to; however, she decided not to press the issue, "I'm just fashionably late."

"Ha ha, funny," Rarity responded dryly to Sora's attempt at humor, "Sweetie Belle is in the next room over. I'll be back in a few hours," With that, Rarity exited the Boutique, leaving Sora to look after her sister.

Sweetie Belle was a unicorn filly. She had a pristine white coat, a swirly pink and purple mane and tail, and cute lime green eyes. When she saw Sora enter the living room, her muzzle lifted into a wide smile.

"Hey there," Sora waved to the unicorn in his usual friendly demeanor, "You're Sweetie Belle, right?"

"I can't believe you're actually here," Sweetie gushed, her voice adorably squeaky, "I must be the luckiest filly in Ponyville right now!"

Something was nagging in the back of Sora's mind. For some reason, he felt as though he had seen this squeaky filly before, "Hey, have we met before?" Sora asked.

"We have, actually," Sweetie Belle answered. Sora rubbed his chin, trying to recall where he's seen her, but nothing was coming to mind, "A few weeks ago, you we're telling me and a few other kids about how you fought those monsters in town hall."

Something clicked inside Sora. He did remember telling that story to a group of kids, it was when smoke was starting to cover Equestria. Now he remembered, Sweetie Belle was part of that same group.

"Oh, yeah! I remember now," Sora nodded his head, "Yeah, you had this really big smile on your face when I was telling the story," Looking over at Sweetie Belle, she had that same smile on her muzzle.

"You are just the coolest pony!" Sweetie Belle hopped in the air to empathize her point.

"Say, Sweetie Belle," Sora addressed her, the little filly locked her eyes with Sora's, "If you like me this much, how come you never tried to talk to me?"

Sweetie Belle rubbed her hoof nervously, breaking eye contact with Sora, "Well... um—I didn't wanna bother you or anything."

"Where'd you get that idea?" Sora asked.

"I don't know," The filly looked away, her cheeks blushing.

_"I guess Sweetie Belle's pretty shy,"_ Sora thought to himself. Looking at the filly with her ears drooped down, the caramel pegasus was compelled to make her feel better, "Hey, Sweetie Belle, do you wanna be friends?"

"Really?!" She questioned, her pupils shrinking. Sora replied with a firm nod, "Wow, thanks!" Sweetie Belle jumped up and down in excitement.

"No problem," Sora ruffled Sweetie's mane the same way he did with Apple Bloom's. The white filly giggled in delight.

"Can I see your key thing?" Sweetie Belle asked with an expectant smile.

"Sure," Sora obliged, summoning his Kingdom Key in his maw. Sweetie Belle eyed they keyblade, it's silver shaft radiating even in the artificial light.

"You have all the coolest stuff," Sweetie complimented, "Like your jacket, it's so cool looking."

Sora smiled in appreciation, placing his keyblade in his hoof so he could rest it on his shoulder, "Thanks," The caramel pegasus then got an idea, "Say, wanna try it on?"

Sweetie Belle's pupils dilated, "Really, you'll let me wear your jacket?!"

"Sure, why not?" Sora affirmed, removing his jacket. Sweetie Belle squealed in joy as Sora handed her the garment, "Go on, try it on," Sweetie Belle did not have to be told twice. She immediately accepted the jacket and stepped into it with her little hooves.

"How do I look?" Sweetie asked excitedly. Looking over at the unicorn filly, Sora noted that the jacket did not fit her at all. It was covering up most of her body.

_"Huh, that's pretty cute looking at it from the other side,"_ Sora thought, noting how ridiculous Sweetie Belle looked. He must have looked just as strange when he was a colt. She was ecstatic nonetheless, "Well, maybe you'll grow into it."

Sweetie Belle looked herself over. The jacket was clearly meant for big ponies. Still, the material was soft while durable at the same time, "This is the best!" She exclaimed, bouncing in place to display her enthusiasm.

During her bouncing, her little hoof got caught on the sleeve of Sora's jacket, causing her tip trip. Sweetie Belle squeaked in fright as she fell down on her stomach with a thud. Sora reacted immediately, kneeling down and picking Sweetie Belle back up.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked with clear concern, gently untangling her hoof from the sleeve.

"I'm fine," Sweetie winced in pain. Rubbing the hoof that got caught.

"You need to be more careful," Sora said, gently stroking Sweetie Belle's head.

"I'm sorry," She apologized.

"Don't be," Sora comforted, "At least you're okay," Now that Sweetie Belle had calmed down a bit, she found herself glancing over at Sora's silver crown cutie mark.

"Hey, Sora, what's your cutie mark mean?" She inquired, leaning her head to get a better look at it. Sora widened his eyes, he remembered Apple Bloom asked him the same question on his first day in Equestria. Unfortunately, he did not have Applejack to bail him out of the question.

"Oh, uh... I'm not really sure," He answered truthfully.

"What?!" Sweetie Belle shrieked, "How could you not know what your cutie mark means? Don't you have a special talent?"

"Well, of course I do," Sora answered, breaking eye contact with Sweetie, "It's just, I'm not completely sure what my cutie mark is supposed to mean."

"How does that even work?" Sweetie Belle questioned.

"I'm not sure what to tell you," Sora admitted, rubbing his head. Quickly wanting to change the subject, the caramel pegasus turned his head back to Sweetie Belle, "Say, what do wanna play? We got a few hours to ourselves."

The white filly perked up, eager to start playing, "Well, how about hide and seek?"

—

Rarity opened the door. A few hours away and she was finally home.

"Sweetie Belle, I'm back!" Rarity called out. She did not receive a response, but she did hear laughter in the next room. Curiosity taking over her, Rarity peered into the living room and was met with a startling sight.

"Oh, save me, brave knight!" Cried Sweetie Belle halfheartedly, sitting atop the couch wearing a pink dress that was far too big for her, likely a dress Rarity had lying around, "Please rescue me from the dreaded cat demon!"

Opalescence was lying on the couch as well. She looked absolutely bored, trying to fall asleep but these noisy ponies were just so loud.

"Fear not, fair princess," Sora held his keyblade up heroically, "I'll save from this foul beast!" Sora lowered his keyblade and used it to lightly prod Opal. The temperamental kitty glared at Sora, who continued to nudge her. Letting out a hiss, Opal leapt off the couch and left to go sleep elsewhere.

"You did it, brave knight," Cheered Sweetie Belle, "You defeated the evil cat demon!"

Rarity cleared her throat, bringing Sora and Sweetie Belle out of their little make believe session. The two of them turned their attention to find the fashion pony stifling a chuckle.

"Rarity, hey," Sora greeted awkwardly, "How long were you standing there?"

"Not too long," She answered, "Thank you so much for looking after Sweetie Belle, Sora. You may go now."

Sweetie Belle looked sad. She was having such a good time. Sora noticed this and ruffled Sweetie's mane again.

"Hey, we can play again sometime if ya want," Sora offered, to which Sweetie Belle nodded in affirmation, "See ya later."

Sora exited Carousel Boutique, leaving the two sisters alone.

"Did you have a great time, Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked.

"Sure did!" Sweetie nodded, "I still can't believe you're friends with a pony like that."

"Well, I am," Rarity then took on a stern expression, "Now, I do believe it's time for her majesty to return that dress back where she found it."

Sweetie Belle winced at being scolded by her big sister.

—

After having such a fun time with Sweetie Belle, Sora walked the streets of Ponyville in high spirits. Looking at the sky, Sora noticed that the sun was close to setting. He decided that he would make his way back to the farm. As he was trotting ahead, his ears picked up a few peculiar sounds. There was the sounds of a filly screaming and the sounds of plastic wheels barreling down. Sora turned his attention to find a filly speeding out of control on a wooden scooter. In her panicked state, the filly ended up colliding with a low wooden crate, sending her and the scooter flying.

Thinking quickly, Sora flew in the air and grabbed filly in his hooves. The scooter fell onto the ground, miraculously showing no signs of external damage. Sora gently placed the filly onto the ground, now getting a better look at her appearance. She was an orange pegasus filly with violet eyes and a messy purple tail. She had an equally messy mane underneath her blue helmet.

Sora breathed a sigh of relief, "That was way too close," The ponies who spectated this event shared a similar sigh of relief.

"Wow, nice save," The filly complimented. Her eyes then widened when she took note of his black jacket and his spiky mane, "Wait a minute. Are you that Sora guy everypony's talking about?" Sora softened his expression.

"Yup, that's me," The caramel pegasus placed his fore-hooves behind his head, a prideful smile etching across his face, "I guess you must have heard about all of my awesome feats."

"Yeah, you're pretty cool," The filly nodded her head, "But you're not as cool as Rainbow Dash," Sora doubled down, his face expressing complete bewilderment, "I'm Scootaloo, by the way."

"What? What do you mean I'm not as cool as Rainbow Dash?" He demanded to know, "What does she have that I don't?"

"I mean, you're cool and all, but there's no way you can fly as fast as Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said.

"Okay, maybe not," Sora admitted, trying to think of a way to get Scootaloo on his side, "But I can do other things. I rescued a little girl from a burning building after all."

"Rainbow Dash could've done that easy," Scootaloo argued.

"I fought Nightmare Moon!"

"Yeah, but you did need Rainbow Dash's help to beat her."

"I fight off the Heartless!"

"What's a Heartless?"

Sora slumped, there was no arguing with this filly. He figured there was one more thing he could show her to impress her. In a flash of light, he summoned his keyblade, leaning onto it like a cane.

"Is that the key thing you use?" Scootaloo asked.

"Sure is," Sora affirmed, "Pretty cool, huh?"

The way Scootaloo eyed the keyblade showed that she was not particularly impressed with the blade, "That's the least cool sword I've ever seen."

Sora slipped off of his keyblade, causing both him and it to tumble on the ground, "What?" Sora said, realigning himself, "It happens to be an ancient weapon that banishes darkness!"

"You'd think it look more cool than it is though," Scootaloo remarked, trotting over to her scooter and setting it back up.

Sora sighed in dejection. He gave up trying to impress Scootaloo. In the course of a few hours, he had his ego inflated and then dashed down.

"Isn't Rainbow Dash just the coolest?!" Scootaloo went into hyper fangirl mode at the drop of a hat, "The way she does all those stunts, she's just the coolest pegasus ever!"

"Yeah, sure..." Sora replied halfheartedly. Scootaloo did not catch Sora's saddened tone and continued on her tangent.

"I mean, I bet she got her cutie mark in the coolest way possible!" Sora perked up his ears, there was that phrase again, cutie mark. Looking over at Scootaloo, Sora noticed that she did not have a mark either, "She must know exactly what she wants in life. I hope I get to be just like her someday," She finished with a hopeful smile.

Sora noticed that Scootaloo casted a quick glance at her wings. It was faint, but he was certain that he saw her smile fade a little bit.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Sora asked.

Scootaloo widened her eyes, but quickly responded, "Nope, nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?"

"Are you sure?"

"Totally sure," Scootaloo forced a smile, "Anyway, cool meeting you, gotta go!" She hopped onto her scooter and used her small wings to propel herself forward. Sora was impressed that Scootaloo used her wings in such a creative manner. Still, he was curious why she seemed sad all of a sudden.

—

After his encounter with Scootaloo, Sora made his way back to the farm. Looking over the horizon, the sun was just about to set. While he entered the farm grounds, he was greeted by a brown and white furred collie dog with a red collar.

"Hey, Winona," Sora greeted the Apple family dog, who wagged her tail in excitement. The collie raced ahead, yipping in excitement. Sora took this as his cue to start chasing her. He ran after Winona, laughing the whole time. Tailing Winona to the Apple house, Sora saw Applejack at the front porch. Winona ran up to the farm mare and yipped in excitement.

"There ya are, Sora," The farm mare greeted, petting Winona to calm her down, "Ah haven't seen ya all day."

"Yeah, I had to look after Rarity's little sister today," Sora explained. Then his mind drifted towards Apple Bloom, "Hey, A.J, have you seen Apple Bloom lately?"

"Ah was talking to her this afternoon," Applejack explained, "She was carrying on about not having a cutie mark. Ah told her it was no big deal. Ah was the last in mah class to get her cutie mark, same with Big Mac and Granny."

"Actually, I think she's worried that she'll get picked on for not having one," Sora suggested.

"Ya talkin' about that party tomorrow?" She asked, to which Sora nodded, "It ain't healthy ah tell ya, worrying over your cutie mark like that."

"What'll we do?" Sora questioned, not exactly to Applejack but just in general.

"Sora, can ah ask ya a personal favor?"

"Sure, what is it?" Sora replied immediately.

"Ah want ya to go to that cute-ceañera tomorrow and be with Apple Bloom," The farm mare requested, "Ah'll be goin' too, but ah bet she'll feel alot better if you're there, if she decides to show up that is."

"Sure thing," Sora agreed without hesitation, "I'll make sure Apple Bloom is okay,"

"Thank ya, Sora, yer a true friend."

The family and Sora had dinner, apple based of course. Apple Bloom was there but she seemed very distant, a far cry from her usual cheery self. Any attempts to initiate conversation were met with one word responses. Even when Sora said he'll go to the party with her tomorrow, Apple Bloom did not pay him much mind.

Now it was time for bed, Sora sat down on his bed in the Apple house's spare room. The family showed them so much hospitality, Sora was so grateful for all their kindness. One day, he'll find a way to repay them.

While he was lying on his bed, Sora took a glance at his flank, taking note of the silver crown emblazoned upon it. This was his cutie mark. He did not know much about cutie marks, only that they were meant to represent a pony's special talent. The only problem was that Sora did not know what his cutie mark represented.

"What would be my special talent?" Sora pondered, sitting on his haunches with his fore-hooves crossed, "I guess my talent would be my skill with the Keyblade, but if that's the case, then wouldn't my cutie mark be my keyblade?" He took another look at the mark, a silver crown. That same icon was on a chain around his neck. For many years, he wore necklaces with this crown charm. Sora did not know what it meant, he always just thought it looked cool. Sora has seen this symbol before, on his keyblade. Brandishing the mystical weapon in his jaw, Sora took note of the teeth of the blade, seeing that it formed the outline of a crown. It was clear that this crown symbol represented Sora in some way, but he had no idea how.

Sora sighed, this whole cutie mark business was so confusing. He decided that it would be easier to just sleep in his bed, and that's what he did.

—

The next day, Sora had a rather uneventful morning. Strangely, ha had not seen Apple Bloom during that whole time. It seemed as though she got up early (or at least earlier than six-o-clock). Sora spent the morning searching for Apple Bloom, but he was not able to find her.

The party was being held in Sugarcube Corner, planned by Pinkie Pie of course. Sora only went to see if Apple Bloom would be there and support her if need be. Judging by how Diamond Tiara, who wore a fancy pink and yellow dress along with Silver Spoon, acted towards the yellow filly yesterday, Sora suspected that Apple Bloom needed all the help she could get. Looking over the party, another excellent job done by Pinkie, Sora could not see Apple Bloom anywhere. Maybe she decided not to go after all.

Sora saw a tray of cupcakes nearby. With his stomach doing the thinking at the moment, the caramel pegasus picked up a delicious looking cupcake with pink frosting. As soon as he took a bite, his mouth immediately protested for him to stop. Sora's pupils shrunk, this did not taste like a cupcake at all; it tasted burnt and terrible. Upon closer inspection, Sora noticed that the inside of the cupcake looked like black charcoal, even the inside of the frosting. With his tase buds revolting against him, Sora dropped the cupcake and made his way to a nearby trash can, where he spat out the contents in his mouth and wiped his tongue free of the offending substance. He received a few odd looks as he did this, but he did not not notice.

After eating the worst treat he ever had in his life, Sora turned his attention to the front entrance, where he found Apple Bloom of all ponies nearby. Forgetting about his terrible cupcake experience, the keyblade wielder trotted to the yellow filly.

"Apple Bloom, there you are," Sora said. The yellow filly jumped in surprise and turned to find Sora was right behind her.

"Sora?!"

"Yeah, I said I'd be here last night..." Sora continued talking but Apple Bloom tuned him out. She saw that Diamond Tiara had noticed her. Thinking fast, Apple Bloom bite down on a nearby pink table cloth, "...I'm glad you're—hey, what're you doing?" Apple Bloom quickly tied together the table cloth to create a makeshift dress, thereby covering her flank.

"Well well well, look who's here," Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached Apple Bloom. Sora steeled himself when he saw the two fillies.

"Nice outfit," The gray filly sarcastically stated, taking note of the table cloth Apple Bloom was wearing.

"Just sumt'n ah, uh, pulled together last minute," Apple Bloom lamely stated.

"It really shows off your cutie mark," Diamond Tiara teased, "Oh wait, that's right, you don't have one," Sora glared at Diamond Tiara, who payed him no mind as she chortled along with Silver Spoon.

"Uh, ah have a cutie mark," Apple Bloom said. The three ponies in the farm filly's presence all reeled back in shock.

"Wait, when did—" Sora did not get a chance to finish his sentence as Apple Bloom kicked his shin to shut him up, much to his displeasure.

"Oh really?" Diamond was calling Apple Bloom's bluff, "Let's see it."

"Ah shouldn't. Ah couldn't," Apple Bloom quickly thought of an excuse, "My cutie mark is so unbelievably amazing, Ah'm afraid that if ah show it off, everyone will start paying attention to me instead of you. Outshined at yer own cute-ceañera. Can ya imagine how embarrassing that would be?"

Apple Bloom's mind game seemed to be effective, as Diamond Tiara scrunched her face in uncertainty, "Uh, forget it, I didn't really want to see it anyway."

"Okay, well, ah'm gonna go mingle," Apple Bloom lied. In truth, she was going to leave first chance she got, "Enjoy yer party."

"Wait, Apple Bloom," Sora reached out to her as she was making her way towards the exit. The caramel pegasus, in his haste, accidentally stepped on the hem of Apple Bloom's "dress," causing the filly to tumble over. The table cloth unfurled, leaving Apple Bloom on the floor with her blank flank on full display. Apple Bloom falling caught the attention of everpony present. All of a sudden, the farm filly was the center of attention, and not in a good way.

"Oh, nice cutie mark," Diamond Tiara sarcastically remarked, she and Silver Spoon carrying evil expressions.

"Blank flank!" They both teased, throwing Apple Bloom on the spotlight. The two bullies laughed their heads off while Apple Bloom looked like she was about to cry. Sora stepped forward, intending to give Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon a piece of his mind. That is, until somepony spoke up.

"You got a problem with blank flanks?!" Spoke a filly's voice. Sora stopped, he recognized that voice.

"What was that?" Diamond Tiara spoke to no one in particular.

"I said, you got a problem with blank flanks?" The ponies all turned to where the voice was coming from. It was from Scootaloo, who was hiding underneath a table along with Sweetie Belle. The two fillies, huddling out of their hiding place, glared at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"W-what are you two doing here?!" Sora questioned.

"The problem is, I mean, she's like, totally not special," Silver Spoon answered, though she did not sound very convincing.

"No, it means she's full of potential," Sweetie Belle counter-argued.

"It means she could be great at anything," Scootaloo added, "The possibilities are, 'like, endless,'" She finished with a mock impression of how Silver Spoon talks.

"She could be a great scientist, or an amazing artist, or a famous writer," Sweetie Belle continued to list oof the things Apple Bloom could do, " She could even be mayor of Ponyville someday."

"And she's not stuck being stuck-up like you two," Scootaloo fired, resulting in a round of laughs from the party goers.

"Hey, this is my party!" Diamond Tiara yelled, "Why are you two on her side?" She gestured accusingly at Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle lowered their fierce confidence, "Because..." They revealed their secret by showing their flanks, they did not have cutie marks.

"You don't have your cutie marks either?" Apple Bloom gasped, "Ah thought ah was the only one."

"We thought we were the only two," Scootaloo replied. Sora looked over this scene with great interest. Three fillies who were self-conscious about their lack of cutie marks meeting together in the same place? There was no way this was mere coincidence, this must have been fate.

"Ya know what?" Sora chimed in, "I think the three of you are really lucky."

"Lucky?" Diamond Tiara screeched, her teeth gnashing in anger, How could they possibly be lucky? They're just a bunch of worthless blank flanks!"

"Tough talk from somebody who's hiding her cutie mark!" Sora fired back. Diamond Tiara reeled back in shock, glancing over at her expensive dress, which did indeed hide her cutie mark, "They still have their own adventure ahead of them, the adventure of finding out who they really are. And the best part is, they don't have to do it alone."

The three mark-less fillies looked at Sora with wide eyes.

"And they got all the time in the world to figure it out," Sora continued. All of a sudden, the foals at the party started to coerce around Apple Bloom.

"Wow, Apple Bloom, I wish I could be a scientist."

"Do you really think you could be mayor?

"Maybe I got my cutie mark too soon."

Suddenly, Apple Bloom's worries seemed to fade away. Now she was brimming with newfound confidence. Now she had two friends to go on this journey with.

Diamond Tiara looked over at this scene "Hey, what's everypony doing? This is my party, everypony is supposed to be paying attention to me!"

"Whatever," Silver Spoon attempted to brush off, "We still think you're losers, right, Diamond Tiara? Bump, bump, sugar... lump..." The gray filly tried to initiate the special dance she had with Diamond Tiara, but she was not reciprocating the movements.

"Not now, Silver Spoon!" The spoiled filly denied. She found herself glaring at Sora, "Stupid, spikey maned dolt!" With that, Diamond Tiara was storming away up the stairs. Silver Spoon dutifully followed after. With that, the three fillies addressed one another.

"Name's Scootaloo."

"And I'm Sweetie Belle."

"Apple Bloom," With the introductions out of the way, the three new friends all shared wide smiles. Sora looked over the three fillies, it almost seemed like fate that the three would meet up like this. In a spur of the moment action, Sora scooped up the three fillies and pulled them all into a big hug. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle giggled in delight while Scootaloo just sighed.

—

The party continued to go on, even without Diamond Tiara. In fact, the party became far more lively after she left. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat at the same table, discussing a pivotal moment in their lives.

"Ah was thinking," Apple Bloom initiated the conversation, "Now that we're friends, what if the three of us work together to find out who we are and what we're supposed to be?

"Ooh! Ooh! We could form our own secret society for cutie mark finding!" Sweetie Belle suggested.

"Secret society?" Scootaloo repeated, "Okay, I'm liking this idea."

"Yeah. We need a name for it though," Apple Bloom pointed out. The three fillies pondered for a minute to

"The Cutie Mark Three?" Scootaloo suggested.

"The Cutastically Fantastics?" Sweetie Belle just threw that one out there.

Apple Bloom smiled, having come up with the perfect name, "How about... The Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

"It's perfect!" Scootaloo stated.

"This is gonna be great!" Sweetie Belle showed her excitement.

"We're gonna be unstoppable!" The now dubbed Cutie Mark Crusaders all put their right fore-hooves down, a moment to engrave their new-found friendship. Sora was watching this scene from a distance with a smile on his face.

"Good for them," spoke a mare's voice. Sora turned his attention to see Twilight standing next to him.

"Hey Twilight, finally decided to leave your cave?" He jested with a sly grin.

"Very funny," Twilight dryly replied, "I heard what you said earlier. You certainly have a knack for inspiring others."

"I just said what my heart was telling me to say," Sora Rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, you do that alot, do you?" Twilight responded.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Sora asked.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Twilight clarified, "Look, I'm gonna go mingle. See ya."

After Twilight trotted off, Sora looked over to the newly formed Cutie Mark Crusaders. All of a sudden, he thought back to a chance meeting he had years ago, a chance meeting with two people who changed his life for the better.

"All for one, and one for all," Sora whispered, a sad smile forming on his muzzle.


	14. Sonic Rainboom

Two weeks after the Cutie Mark Crusaders formed, they had been causing Ponyville no shortage of headache. One of their first outings was putting on a live musical performance in an attempt to win a talent show. The only issue was that the performance was a complete disaster; between Scootaloo's awful singing, Sweetie Belle's terrible set design, and Apple Bloom's dysfunctional choreography, the show was an utter failure, but saying that is an understatement. Sora saw the performance to cheer on the CMC, but he could not bring himself to say that it was good; doing so just felt morally wrong.

Another of the CMC's hi jinx involved Fluttershy, Twilight and the Everfree Forest. Sora did not understand exactly what happened as he was not there. He tried asking Twilight about it, but she hardly remembered anything. Asking Fluttershy or the CMC resulted in vague answers, so Sora decided to drop the issue; it probably was not that important anyway.

That's how it was with he CMC, everyday they would come up with a new scheme to get their cutie marks, always ending in failure and often leaving them covered in tree sap.

This story involved something different, and it all Started in the Golden Oak Library. Twilight levitated one of her prized books on the library's wooden shelves. The entire space was now neat and tidy.

"Thanks for helping me reorganize my shelves, everypony," Twilight expressed.

"Yeah, nothing more exciting than a bunch of books..." Sora droned unenthusiastically. He, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack had been helping the purple unicorn reorganize her shelves.

"You're telling me," Twilight responded, not catching the sarcasm in Sora's voice, "It's been a crazy week of studying."

"Wait," Sora held his hoof up, signaling the others to stop talking, "Do you hear that?"

It was faint, but Sora could swear he was hearing something. It sounded like someone screaming. Sora suddenly felt a sense of deja-vu, like he's been in a familiar scenario before. His suspicions about what was happening were confirmed when he heard the screaming getting louder.

"Get down!" He yelled, dropping to the floor. Before the mares could question what he was doing, they took a quick glance towards the open window. There was Rainbow Dash, careening towards the open window and crashing into the library. No one really knows what happened next. The ponies were all sprawled out on the floor, dazed and confused. The force of her impact forced all of the books to fall off the shelves, resulting in a floor covered in scattered reading material.

Then Fluttershy appeared from the window, "Rainbow Dash, you rock! Woohoo," She kind of cheered. It was hard to tell with how quiet she was. Her pupils shrunk when she saw the mess in the library, "Did my cheering do that?"

Sora rose, a couple of open books falling off of him in the process, "What the heck just happened?" He saw the state of the room, seeing the other mares pick themselves up, but more importantly, all the books were sprawled on the floor, "NOOOO! We just got this place cleaned up!" Now they had to boringly shelve all those books again.

Twilight rose from her lying position, bringing a hoof to her aching head, "Hi, Rainbow Dash..."

"Sorry about that everypony," Rainbow Dash apologized before turning her attention to Fluttershy, "That was a truly feeble performance."

"It wasn't all bad," Fluttershy tried to soften the mood, "I especially liked the part where you made those clouds spin."

"Yeah, my performance was awesome," Rainbow Dash stroked her ego, "I was talking about your feeble cheering," Fluttershy shrunk back hearing Rainbow's criticism.

"Uh, what are you two talking about?" Sora asked. Rainbow Dash surprised him when she flew right up to him.

"Sora, I need your help!" She requested.

"Okay, what is it?" He replied, _"Anything to get away from organizing books."_

"I need you to cheer me on in the Cloudsdale Best Young Flyer Competition," Rainbow said.

"The Best Young Flyer Competition?" Sora repeated, "What's that?"

"It's where all the greatest Pegasus flyers get together and show off their different flying styles!" Pinkie Pie excitedly stated, having burst from a mound of books, "Some are fast! And some are graceful."

"Golly. Ah'd love to see you strut yer stuff in that competition," Applejack threw in, picking herself up off the ground.

"Yeah. That's why I need your help, Sora," Rainbow pleaded—kinda,"Fluttershy's a great support, but her cheering isn't exactly inspirational."

_"That's not exactly nice to say. I'm sure Fluttershy's plenty inspirational."_

"Ooh! I'd love to see you make a sonic rainboom!" Pinkie breathed, "It's like, the most coolest thing ever, even though I've never actually seen it, but I mean come on! It's a sonic rainboom, how not cool could it possibly not be?!"

"Sonic rainboom?" Sora and Twilight asked simultaneously, causing the two of them to look at each other in shock.

"Jinx!" Sora quickly and cheekily stated, to which Twilight moaned in response.

"You two really need to get out more," Pinkie Pie teasedSora and Twilight. Both ponies glared at the pink mare, who payed their stares no mind, "The sonic rainboom is legendary! When a Pegasus like Rainbow Dash gets going sooo fast... Boom!" Pinkie stretched out her hooves to emphasize her point, "A sonic boom and a rainbow happen at the same time!"

Sora widened his eyes, "Is that even possible?"

"Sure is," Applejack affirmed, "And Rainbow Dash here is the only pony to ever pull it off, when she was a filly no less."

"Wow!" Sora displayed his amazement, "Really? You did that when you were a kid?!"

Rainbow Dash could not help but smile in pride, "Sure did."

"You're gonna do it again, right?" Pinkie asked with a wide, toothy smile.

"You kidding me?" Rainbow Dash puffed up her chest, "I could do a sonic rainboom in my sleep!"

"Man, if you pulled off something like that, you'd win for sure!" Sora commented.

"The grand prize is an entire day with the Wonderbolts," Rainbow squealed. Sora noticed the cyan mare's eyes sparkling as she continued, "A whole day of flying with my lifelong heroes... It'll be a dream come true!"

"And this is why you need Sora's help?" Twilight asked, diligently following the conversation.

"That's right," Rainbow affirmed to the purple mare before turning her attention to Sora again, "That's why I'm hoping you can at least teach Fluttershy how to cheer properly."

Sora brought a hoof to his chin, "Hmm, sounds easy enough."

"Cool, I'm gonna go catch some Z's while you two are at it," Rainbow said.

"Wait, you're not gonna practice first?" Sora questioned. The cyan mare's thought process made no sense to him. Why shouldn't she practice until she's at peak physical performance?

"I don't wanna be too tired when we get to Cloudsdale," Rainbow reasoned, "Fluttershy's the one who really needs practice. Besides, I don't wanna over prepare," She flew out the front door at a leisurely pace. Leading to Fluttershy following after her.

Before the yellow mare left however, she turned herself to address the ponies in the room, "Rainbow's tried the sonic rainboom over a hundred times, but she can't get it to work."

"Does she really have that much trouble doing it?" Sora inquired, "She's done it before, hasn't she?"

"Oh, you don't think my cheering has anything to do with it, do you?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

Sora wasn't sure how Fluttershy could reach that conclusion, but he felt the need to comfort her anyway, "I'm sure it's not that. I bet she just needs some encouragement. You'd be surprised how much of a difference that can make."

"Hey, are you two done talking?!" Rainbow Dash called out, "We gotta get to practicing!"

"Be right there," Fluttershy called out, although her tone of voice made it so that Rainbow did not hear.

"Well, I'll see you girls later then," Sora waved, then flew out the door to catch up with Rainbow and Fluttershy. After the pegasi left, Twilight surveyed the floor of her library, sighing in dejection when it dawned on her that the progress of the last hour was for naught.

"Well, might as well clean up this mess while we're here" Twilight picked up a book with her magic, only for Rarity to swat it away.

"Twilight!" Rarity scolded, greatly confusing the purple unicorn, "How can you just stand here! We need to support Rainbow Dash. She desperately needs it right now."

"Were you even listenin' to Rainbow Dash?" Applejack questioned with a raised eyebrow, "She was practically tootin' her own horn."

"Applejack, I'm in the fashion business," Rarity counter argued, "I know stage fright when I see it, and it was all over poor Rainbow's face."

"Well what we are supposed to do?" Twilight argued, "It's not like we can go to Cloudsdale. We can't fly, remember?"

"That's easy," Pinkie appeared in front of Twilight—upside down, "You just have to cast a flight spell on all of us."

Twilight looked at Pinkie with shrunken pupils, both from the pink mare's defiance at gravity and her nonchalant explanation, "How am I supposed to find a flight spell in this mess?"

Pinkie Pie dove into the mess of books on the floor. She did not reemerge until a while later, carrying an book in her mouth, "Here it is, page twenty six!"

"How in Equestria did you know where that was?" Twilight questioned against her better judgment, considering it was Pinkie Pie.

"The page was shoved into my face when Rainbow crashed inside," Pinkie explained. Thinking that was a good enough explanation, Twilight opened the book to the page Pinkie suggested.

"Oh dear," Twilight read the contents of the spell in question, "This is going to take an intense amount of magical energy to pull off, I don't know if I can do this on all of us."

"Then let me volunteer to be the first," Rarity stepped forward, "For Rainbow Dash's sake!"

"Okay then," Twilight agreed, reading over the instructions for the spell once more. With great concentration, Twilight closed her eyes and pooled magical energy into her horn, forming to a beam that impacted with Rarity. It did not hurt at all, as a matter of fact, Rarity felt exhilarated having magic course through her body. The spell created a bright light, forcing the other mares to cover their eyes least they be blinded. When the light dissipated, Twilight opened her eyelids to survey the results of the spell.

She let out a gasp.

"Well, how do I look?" Rarity asked.

"I-I think it worked," Twilight responded, unable to take her eyes off of the marshmallow unicorn in front of her.

—

Much later, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Sora were flying over to this Cloudsdale place Rainbow was taking about.

"You've really never been to Cloudsdale before?" Rainbow Dash asked Sora.

"No," He replied, "I'm not from here, remember."

"Well, in that case, welcome to the greatest city in the sky!" Rainbow announced as there was something coming into view. Sora had to hold back his breath as it came into focus. There was Cloudsdale, it was as Rainbow said, a city in the sky. A city made entirely out of clouds. The architecture of the city made heavy use of pillars and there appeared to be a large factory that made up a good portion of the city. Pegasi flew around freely, going about their merry lives.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Sora expressed as the three of them entered the city proper.

"I knew you'd like Cloudsdale," Rainbow said as the group landed on a cloud street.

_"It's like I'm on Olympus all over again,"_ Sora thought, "_The architecture is more than similar. Is Cloudsdale Equestria's equivalent to Olympus?"_

As Sora was pondering, two male pegasi wearing what looked to be factory clothing approached the group, their faces contorted into stifling snickering.

"Hey, if it isn't Rainbow Crash!" A brown pegasus taunted the cyan mare, who only gave him a sneering glance.

"Get kicked out of any flight schools lately?" An orange pegasus insulted, to which Rainbow tried to pay no mind...

"I wasn't kicked out!" But failed to do so.

"Who are those two?" Sora whispered to Fluttershy.

"Those two always bullied me and Rainbow Dash when we were at flight school," Fluttershy explained, her face full of worry.

"Hey, why don't you tell us about the Sonic Rainboom?" The orange one prodded, causing Rainbow's face to slightly go pale.

"That's nothing but an old mare's tale," The brown pegasus further taunted, "Face it, you don't have the skills to pull off something like that."

"Now hold it right there!" Spoke a stern voice. The pegasi turned their heads to the one who spoke—Fluttershy, who immediately reverted back to her usual demeanor, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm trying to be more assertive..."

_"Maybe those lessons are paying off,"_ Sora thought.

—

**Earlier**

_"Okay, let's go over it again," Sora told Fluttershy, "What's makes a good cheer?"_

_Fluttershy brought a hoof to her chin, "Loss of control."_

_"Yeah, and what else?"_

_"Screaming and Hollering."_

_"And what's the most important thing you need to make a good cheer?" Sora asked with excitement._

_"Passion."_

_"Yes," Sora pumped his hoof into the air, "Now that ya got that all down, let's see you put it into action. Go on, Fluttershy, let it out! Show me how much passion you have! As loud as it can be!"_

_Fluttershy nodded her head. The yellow mare sucked in a great amount of air through her mouth. She reared herself up on her hind-legs. Her eyes seemed to bulge under intense pressure. Finally, Fluttershy released her breath, creating the effect that she had trained for:_

_"yay."_

_Sora stared at the yellow mare with a blank stare. Fluttershy noticed this and adopted a worried expression._

_"What? Too loud?"_

_"Uh, let's keep practicing..." Sora replied, "Maybe try being more assertive."_

—

Sora stepped forward to face the bullies, "What she means is that Rainbow Dash is gonna do a sonic rainboom at the Best Young Flyer Competition."

The two male pegasi burst into laughter, "Yeah right, there's no such thing, Spiky!"

"Then show up at the Cloudeseum and see for yourself!" Fluttershy stated assertively, then added with a meek, "If you're free."

"Yeah, that's right!" Pointed to the bullies, "Rainbow's gonna show you what she can do. You wont be laughing then!"

"Oh, don't worry. We'll be there!" The brown one said with a mischievous smile.

"See you then, Rainbow Crash!" With that, the two stallions flew off while laughing like hyenas.

"Did you see that? I was so assertive!" Fluttershy spoke to Sora.

"Yeah, I saw," Sora nodded his head. Not everypony was feeling good at the moment. Rainbow looked depressed after encountering those bullies.

"Those guys are right," The cyan mare sighed, "I'll never be able to do it."

Sora took note of this behavior and decided to try and lift Rainbow's spirits, "C'mon, Rainbow Dash," He encouraged, "Don't think like that. You just gotta think positive."

"That's right, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy also offered her support, "Just because you've failed the sonic rainboom a hundred thousand times in practice doesn't mean you won't be able to do it in front of an entire stadium, full of impatient, super-critical sportsfan ponies," That did not help at all. Now Rainbow had transitioned from downcast to full on panic.

"Aaaaaah! What do I do?!" She panicked, crumbling on the cloud ground, "Everypony's gonna see me fail! The Wonderbolts will never let a loser like me join. Princess Celestia will probably banish me to the Everfree Forest! My life is ruined!"

Sora casted a disapproving glance at Fluttershy, who shrunk under pressure.

"That won't happen at all, Rainbow," Sora assured, lowering himself to meet Rainbow's level, "You're gonna do just fine."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because giving up before something starts won't get you anywhere," Sora replied with utmost certainty.

"That's not gonna help do a sonic rainboom!" Rainbow exasperated. There was no immediate response. Sora and Fluttershy were instead staring off somewhere else.

"Rare..." Sora trailed off.

"Rare? The sonic rainboom is way more than just rare!" Rainbow yelled, getting up to confront the caramel pegasus.. Sora motioned for the cyan mare to look behind her. Rainbow Dash turned around to find a startling sight. It was Rarity, with a pair of transparent butterfly wings. Her appearance attracted the attention of many of the nearby pegasi, who stopped what they were doing to gaze upon those beautiful wings.

"Oh, hello there," Rarity greeted the group, who were still transfixed by her new wings, "Do you like them?"

"They're amazing!" Sora broke the ice, earning him a stifled giggle from Rarity.

"You are simply too kind, my dear."

"Where the heck did you get wings?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"You can thank our friend Twilight for that," Rarity explained, "We didn't want to leave our friend without support during such an important moment of her life," The fashion pony pointed off to the distance, prompting the three pegasi to turn their attention to what she was pointing at. To their surprise, they saw a purple hot air balloon carrying Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie.

"Hey, they made it!" Rainbow cheered, watching the ballon land on the same cloud the three pegasi were on. Twilight made to climb out of the basket, something which made the three instantly panic. Their fears immediately dissipated when Twilight plopped her hooves on the cloud, just like how a pegasus would. Now Sora, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were beyond flabbergasted.

"How are you doing that?" Sora looked puzzled, "I thought only pegasuses could walk on clouds."

"First of all, the plural form of pegasus is pegasi," Twilight corrected, to which Sora un-amusedly crossed his hooves, "Second, Rarity volunteered to have a flight spell tested on her, but I soon realized that I wouldn't have enough magical energy to use it on all of us. So I just found a simple cloud walking spell and here we are."

"Am I glad you're here," Rainbow said with a forced smile, "I was just getting only slightly nervous, but now that you girls are here, I feel alot better now."

Sora eyed Rainbow with a raised eyebrow, "What? Just a second ago you were—" He was interrupted when Rainbow shoved her hoof into his mouth.

"How about me and Fluttershy show around Cloudsdale?" Rainbow desperately changed the subject. It seemed to work as the others all nodded their heads in confirmation.

Sora could see through the facade. Rainbow Dash may act confident, but deep down she was scared. Still, She and Fluttershy made sure to give the group a tour of Cloudsdale. While they were moving, a pegasus with a jackhammer of all things stopped what he was doing when he took note of Rarity and her wings.

"My word," He said, "Those wings are gorgeous!" He complimented. Rarity stopped in place to address the stallion.

"What, these old things," She fluttered them graciously, catching the attention of even more pegasi.

"Be careful with those wings, Rarity," Twilight warned, "They're made from gossamer and morning dew, meaning that they're incredibly fragile."

"Now Twilight," Rarity brushed side the purple unicorn's warning, "I'm sure these wings won't bring about too much unwanted attention," She said as she was looking at her wings in a mirror at a nearby shop.

"I seriously doubt that," Twilight whispered to Sora. He could not agree more. In the short time he knew her, Sora knew Rarity took great pride in her appearance. And with wings as graceful as those, she would want to flaunt them as much as possible.

—

On the tour of Cloudsdale, the group made their way to the city's weather factory, the main source of the meteorological phenomenon across Equestria. While in the factory, the great had to wear white coats and hard hats. Sora still could not believe that pegasi control the weather in this world. Never before has he seen nor heard of such a thing. There were pegasi meticulously creating snowflakes for use in the winter time, complicated machinery that created clouds from water, among other things.

"This is where they make the rainbows," Dash motioned to a cavalcade of falls that poured a rainbow colored liquid into one central pool. Pinkie Pie, out of some sort of impulsive desire, dipped her hoof in the rainbow pool and licked it. Her face began sporadically changing into all the colors of the rainbow rapidly, all the while her face contorted as if she had fire in her mouth.

"Mmm, spicy," She rolled out her tongue as the others just stared at her with trepidation.

"I guess Rainbows aren't known for their taste," Sora commented.

"No kidding..." Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Whoa! Where'd you get those amazing wings? I want a pair!" Spoke a familiar voice. Sora turned his attention to find the two bullies from earlier admiring Rarity's wings.

"Yes, well, I'm sure they would look smashing on you," Rarity politely responded.

"Oh, hey look, it's Rainbow Crash again!" The brown buck insulted, having taken note of the cyan mare.

"Rarity!" Rainbow spoke in an accusatory tone, "What're you doing talking to these guys?"

"Oh, they were just admiring my wings, Rainbow Dash," Rarity brushed off.

"You should just forget the sonic rainboom and get yourself some wings like these!" The buck further prodded, prompting Rainbow to shrink back.

"Don't listen to him, Rainbow," Sora trotted to her side, "You gonna win that contest and show everyone how awesome you are!"

"You kidding me?" Rainbow depressingly conceded, "Look at these boring, everyday wings. There's no way I can do a sonic rainboom."

Sora looked over at Rarity, who was attracting even more attention. Rarity flew up higher, catching the sun's rays in her wings, shining the ponies in the factory with colorful rays of light. It certainly was an impressive display, one that made every worker 'awe' at the spectacle. Sora casted a glance towards Rainbow. She looked more than a little troubled, her eyes were far unfocused, her lips were in a constant frown, and her body was trembling.

"Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" Sora asked with concern in his voice, "You don't look so good."

"Of course!" She replied through panting, "Why wouldn't I be okay? Everypony's so in love with Rarity's wings that they won't even notice me completely blow it in the Best Young Flyer's Competition."

"Hey! There's an idea!" One of the workers overheard Rainbow, "YOU should enter the competition!" He was referring to Rarity.

"Yeah!" Another worker agreed, "I could watch you fly all day long!"

"There really isn't anypony who uses their wings quite like me," Rarity admitted, clearly loving the attention she was getting, "Perhaps I should compete."

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash screamed, her condition worsening. Sora was more than a little shocked. Moreover, he was angry. Angry at Rarity for adding even more pressure on Rainbow. With his mood soured, he flew up to the winged unicorn.

"Rarity, can I talk to you for a minute," Sora pulled the fashion pony by her hoof away from her adoring public, much to her displeasure.

"Sora, what in the world are you doing?"

"Rarity, do you remember why we're here in the first place?" Asked Sora with a furrowed brow.

"I'll have you know that I do remember, thank you very much," Rarity brushed aside with a dismissive attitude.

"Yeah, and that reason would be..?" Sora questioned expectantly.

"Oh, yes," Rarity pondered for a brief moment, "We're here to support Rainbow Dash in the Young Fliers Competition."

"Exactly," Sora affirmed in an almost accusing voice, "So why are you entering the same contest!"

"Don't you glare at me like that!" Rarity crossed her hooves. Sora was indeed scowling at Rarity. One look at the caramel pegasus showed that he was not happy with the winged unicorn right now, "I simply just wish to give my adoring public what they desire. Why don't you join the contest as well, Sora? I'm sure a pegasus of your talents would bring quite the spectacle."

"Normally, I would enter any contest," Sora admitted, not breaking eye contact with Rarity, "But I'm here to support my friend, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. You should do the same."

"Sora, I'm not looking to discredit Rainbow," Rarity said irritated, "I hardly see how me competing would hurt her chances."

"Other than being a total attention hog, you mean!" Sora countered.

"I don't need to take this!" Rarity grew fed up with Sora's nagging, "Now if you will excuse me, I must prepare for the event. Good day to you, sir!" Rarity flew off in a huff. Sora sighed in frustration, glancing back at Rainbow, who was biting her hooves in anxiety.

—

The contest was about to start, and most of Cloudsdale had gathered in the Cloudeseum, an open stadium that had no floor and had numerous rafters made out of clouds, of course. The group occupied their own cloud rafter. Sora was anxious, wondering how Rainbow Dash would do. She had very little confidence in herself at the moment. He just hoped she would be able to bounce back to her usual confident self in time.

"Fillies and gentlecolts!" A stallion announced through an speaker system, "Please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved Princess Celestia!" The crowd erupted in passionate cheers, especially from Twilight.

"I didn't know Celestia would be here," Sora commented. Looking at the majestic monarch of Equestria again reminded Sora that he knew something about her no one else did. It took Sora a moment to let all of that sink in.

"Also, please welcome our celebrity judges for the Best Young Flyer Competition: the Wonderbolts!" After that announcement, a team of six pegasi soared over the Cloudeseum, leaving behind a trail of smoke behind them. All of them flew up and created a fantastic burst of light that left behind lingering sparkles, a stunt that earned them the crowd's applause.

"So those are the Wonderbolts," Sora focused his vision on them. All of them wore jumpsuits that were blue with yellow highlights and blue goggles. The only way to tell them apart were their manes. The Wonderbolts all landed on their own cloud platform near Princess Celestia's.

"And now, let's find out who will take the prize as this year's best young flyer!"

Thus started the Best Young Flyer Competition. Each pegasus entered the arena and performed During the course of the contest, Sora could have sworn he saw Ditzy Doo competing, but he was barely paying attention. He was worried about Rainbow Dash. However, he did notice that contestant number 4 was skipped over for some strange reason. He just hoped that contestant 4 was not Rainbow.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?" Sora asked, "There aren't that many contestants left."

"She better show up soon," Applejack said, "I just hope Rarity won't try and show her up."

"And now, for our final competitor of the day," Announced the announcer, "Contestant number fifteen! Uhh... And apparently contestant number four..."

Rarity and Rainbow Dash flew out at the same time. The latter was number fifteen while the former was number four. Looking at Rarity's appearance, it was clear to see why she took so long. She applied a thick layer of mascara and lipstick on her face. Her actual outfit was just as ridiculous, a purple head dress adorned with pink feathers, a dress with a fuzzy light green and purple neckline with a second pair of glittery pink wings, and a skirt made up of what seemed to be large purple and green feathers. Sora felt a pit in his stomach; also, he could have sworn he heard Applejack growling in disdain. He felt some disdain himself, towards Rarity for how much she's sabotaged Rainbow's chances of winning.

Unlike the other contestants, who displayed an array of athletic ability, Rarity opted to perform a dance that emphasized her grace. Also, the music had inexplicably changed into a more classical piece rather than the rock and roll that had been usually playing. Sora wasn't paying that much attention, he was still worryingly glancing at Rainbow Dash, who was floundering all of her stunts.

Rarity was close to the closing act to her performance, "And now for my grand finale. I will fly right up to the sun and beam my beautiful wings over the whole city of Cloudsdale!"

The group was mostly preoccupied with Rainbow at the moment, who failed to make clouds spin. Eventually, Rainbow flew up high into the air, presumably to attempt the sonic rainboom. Sora hoped with all his heart that Rainbow Dash would be able to do it. However, Rainbow Dash's failings would soon be the least of Sora's problems.

As Rarity crew closer to the sun, the light illuminated through the transparent butterfly wings, showering the awestruck audience with a dazzling display of bright colors, as she had done before. In that moment, Twilight's earlier warning about Rarity's wings being delicate came back to deliver Murphy's law upon the marshmallow mare. Being in close proximity to the sun made her butterfly wings burst into flame, only to vanish in an instant the next moment. Only when it was too late did Rarity realize her mistake.

With nothing left to keep her afloat, Rarity was left to fall like a rock thousands of feet above ground level, screeching and flailing her limbs as she fell. The entire arena gasped in horror as Rarity plummeted towards the hard ground beneath her. In response to this crisis, the Wonderbolts dropped down to rescue her. They managed to reach Rarity, but her carelessly flailing legs knocked them all unconscious, leaving them to fall to their deaths as well.

With his friend falling to her doom, Sora steeled himself and leapt off of the rafter he was sitting on to let himself plummet, much to the shock of his friends. Focusing on Rarity, Sora was engulfed in a blue aura as he zoomed to her at high speeds.

Meanwhile with Rainbow Dash, she heard Rarity screaming from where she was as she was preparing for the sonic rainboom. Glancing down from her high altitude, she noticed the fashion pony plummeting. With focused determination, Rainbow knew exactly what she had to do. Using all of the strength her wings could give her, the cyan mare dived down at super sonic speeds, fast enough to reach Sora.

What happened next, before either pegasus understood what happened, they were side by side, perfectly matching each other's speed while they were both engulfed in a blue aura. As they sped downwards, their momentum creating a visible cone of air around them. When the two of them reached the falling ponies, Sora grabbed hold of Rarity while Rainbow picked up the unconscious Wonderbolts.

And then, it happened. There was a massive burst of rainbow colors in blue sparkles as the sound barrier broke. The display of colors was so massive that it could be seen for miles. The vibrant display coated Cloudsdale in an array of rainbow colors so bright that it was near blinding. The colors spread outward at an alarming rate, sparking the ground below with blue particles.

"A sonic rainboom!" Fluttershy lost control, screaming and hollering with great passion, "She did it! She did it! WOOOOO!"

Rainbow and Sora soared across the ground floor at high speeds, bounding upwards at a 90 degree angle to fly back Cloudsdale, leaving a Rainbow that rained blue sparkles in their flight. The two of them rebounded back at the Cloudeseum, where they were met with riotous applause. Both Rainbow and Sora were staring off into space, trying to figure out what had just occurred.

"Did we just both pull off a sonic rainboom?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I think we just did," Sora answered. That was certainly a thrilling experience, _"I don't think I've ever gone that fast before."_

"You two did more than that!" Rarity spoke while still in Sora's hooves, "You two saved both my life and the life of the Wonderbolts."

Rainbow took a moment to consider what Rarity was telling her. The cyan mare had in a single instance performed one of the most impossible techniques in the history of flight and saved her childhood heroes. She could not help but grin a wide smile.

"Heh, I'd call this a good day," Sora said.

—

After the contest concluded, the group reconvened back at the hot air balloon, with Rarity standing in the basket.

"Could somepony mind explaining what exactly happened?" Twilight requested. Her brain was in a frenzy trying to discern how both Rainbow and Sora were able to achieve a sonic rainboom at the same time.

"I think I know what happened," Sora said, "I think me and Rainbow did a limit."

The phrase was completely lost on the mares, judging by the expressions on their faces, "What's that?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh," Sora realized he never explained limits, even when Twilight was interrogating him a while back, "It's sort of a thing I can do. Sometimes I can do a really powerful move with a friend."

"So when you and Rainbow Dash pulled off that sonic rainboom together, you were performing this 'limit' ability," Twilight attempted to piece together what Sora was saying.

Sora folded his hooves as his face scrunched up, "Well, thing is, I can only do a limit with someone where our hearts are joined with the same purpose. I'm guessing when we both wanted to save Rarity, our hearts must have connected at that point."

Twilight sighed, then whispered to herself, "Yet another thing somepony decided not to share..." She kept her indifference to herself, not wanting to risk upsetting Sora again.

"Hey, I wonder what my limit with Sora would be?" Pinkie thought out loud, "Maybe we'd cover the field in cupcakes and make them explode in a fantastic display of destruction and tastiness!"

"Whatever the case, I'm very thankful for your saving me," Rarity told Sora, diverting from another one of Pinkie's tangents, "I'm sorry for being such an 'attention hog'," Then she addressed Rainbow, "And I'm sorry for placing even more unneeded pressure on you."

"Hey, it's no big deal," Rainbow brushed her hoof.

"Yeah," Sora affirmed, showing no signs of a grudge against the fashion pony. Rarity looked relieved knowing that there was no bad blood between her or any of her friends.

"I just wish I could have met the Wonderbolts when they were awake," Rainbow looked to the ground in slight disappointment, before Sora tapped on her shoulder, catching her attention, and he pointed to right behind her. Rainbow followed to where Sora was pointing, finding the real and true Wonderbolts, completely conscious and looking at Rainbow. Being in such close proximity to these famous pegasi, Rainbow Dash put a hoof over her mouth as her irises grew in size.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

"So you're the little pony who saved our lives," Said their leader, a mare with a blown back orange and yellow mane, "We really wanted to meet you, and say thanks."

Those words of appreciation, especially coming from a Wonderbolt, threw Rainbow into an even bigger frenzy.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

As Rainbow was switching into hyper fangirl mode, Princess Celestia approached the group.

"Hello, Twilight Sparkle, and hello to your friends too," She made sure to wink at Sora. He got the message, and he winked back to his fellow Keyblade wielder.

"Princess Celestia," Rarity addressed the monarch with a sorrowful tone, "I am sorry I ruined the competition. I had no business being in it. Rainbow Dash is truly the best flyer in Equestria."

Celestia chuckled in earnest at Rarity's humility, "It was a very dazzling display of both skill and courage, from the both of you," She was referring to both Sora and Rainbow Dash.

"Well, I'm technically not a contestant," Sora pointed out, "So I can't exactly be given the crown or the prize," He spoke as if he was leading Celestia to make a specific decision, which she caught onto very quickly, causing her to chuckle.

"Well, in that case, I present the grand prize for Best Young Flyer to this year's winner: Miss Rainbow Dash!" Celestia levitated the literal crown, which was styled with two pegasus wings and a lightning bolt. Now Rainbow was one step away from blasting off into the stratosphere.

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!"

"So my faithful student," Celestia addressed Twilight, who dutifully gave the Princess her undivided attention, "Did you learn anything about friendship from this experience?"

"I did Princess," The studious mare replied, "But I think Rarity learned even more than I did."

"I most certainly did," The fashion pony replied, downcast, "I learned how important it is to keep your hooves on the ground, and be there for your friends."

"Excellent. Well done, Rarity," Celestia complimented.

"This is the best day ever!" Rainbow cheered. Just then, the two bullies from earlier flew up to the group. Judging by the looks on their faces, they did not seem to mean any trouble.

"Uhh, hey, Rainbow Crash."

"Dash!" The orange pegasus corrected.

"Oh! Uhh... Sorry. Rainbow Dash," The brown pegasus continued, "Uhh, we just wanted to congratulate you on winning the competition," There seemed to be a real genuine attempt to express congratulations. No sign of any kind of teasing.

"That sonic rainboom was awesome!" The orange one complimented with earnest.

Rainbow Dash certainly never expected to hear those words, especially coming from these two, "Really? Heh, thanks, guys."

"Uhh, we're really sorry we gave you such a hard time before."

"Aww, that's okay," Rainbow was pretty quick to forgive them, something Sora found quite admirable, "Don't worry about it."

"Hey. Do you want to hang out with us?" The brown buck suggested with hope in his voice, "Maybe you could show us how you did that sonic rainboom!"

"Sorry, boys... But I've got plans!" Rainbow Dash flew off with her fore-hooves around two male Wonderbolts, her face smiling in contentment.

Sora looked over at Rainbow Dash with a smile on his face. He was glad that she got her spark back.

—

The next day, Sora was trotting through town so that he could meet up with Pinkie Pie to bake some cupcakes. As he moved forward, Rainbow Dash flew in front of him.

"Hey, Rainbow. How'd it go?" He asked, referring to the flight lessons with the Wonderbolts.

"I was everything I imagined it to be!" She excitedly replied. Sora could not blame her enthusiasm. She had dreamed of being with the group for years and now she had gotten a taste of it.

"That's great to hear."

"Hey, Sora," Rainbow Dash looked a little apprehensive about something, "Can I talk with you for a sec?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Out of the blue, Rainbow Dash grabbed hold of Sora's hooves and flew the both of them off to a nearby alleyway, away from any prying pony eyes. Sora narrowed his eyes at the cyan mare.

"Hey, what gives?" He received his answer when Rainbow Dash threw her hooves around him in a hug. The caramel pegasus stiffened at such a sudden action, especially from a pony like Rainbow.

"Thanks for letting me have the win. Please don't tell anypony about this," Rainbow begged him, breaking away from their hug. Sora blinked twice as she sped off to who knows where. After such an experience, Sora could only smirk.

"Aww, c'mon, Rainbow," Sora spoke to no one in particular, "At least let me hug you back."


	15. Over a Barrel

One week later, not much happened aside from from an incident where Rarity was mare-napped by a group of gem loving dogs. The humorous part was that they let her go after she annoyed them too much. Rarity got more than her fair share of gems for her designs after the ordeal. Right now, Sora was trotting down the cars of a moving train, where Rarity and Applejack were having an argument.

"Applejack, I must protest to you giving your tree a room of it's own," Rarity complained to the farm mare, motioning to an apple tree laying on the back cushion and draped with a quilted blanket.

"Sorry, Rarity," Applejack replied, "Bloomberg here is special cargo. Ah ain't taking any chances," Rarity sighed in response, then taking notice that Sora had entered the car.

"Sora, please tell me you object to this nonsense," Rarity pleaded.

"A.J really likes her trees," Sora stated matter of factly, making Rarity gasp in disbelief, "You're not gonna convince her either way," With that, Sora exited back the way he came in, leaving Rarity in bewilderment and Applejack in smug satisfaction.

"Guess yer jus' gonna hafta deal with it, Rarity," Applejack commented.

"Unbelievable!" Rarity shouted, storming off after Sora, "Darling, why are you encouraging this behavior? She was reading it a bedtime story!"

"Bloomberg is A.J's favorite tree," Sora explained, "I've seen her read to him plenty of times," Sora was speaking as if this situation was normal.

"Ugh, I swear, you've spent far too much time with the Apples," Rarity commented.

The reason for this train ride was that Applejack was planning to plant Bloomberg in the town of Appleoosa, a frontier town headed by members of the Apple family. Above all else currently, Sora wanted to make sure that Bloomberg was delivered safe and sound. After all the hospitality the Apples had given him, Sora felt inclined to repay them any way he could. If that meant letting Bloomberg take first class, then so be it. The train ride began near dusk, so the trip would take until morning. Luckily, the group did have sleeping arrangements in the train itself. Rarity, however, felt miffed about sleeping with others in such close proximity. She preferred to have her "beauty sleep" in private.

—

Sora was having trouble sleeping. The rumble of the train had a large part to do with it, but there was also the issue of Pinkie and Rainbow arguing over something. Taking matters into his hooves, Sora got up so he could break up the conversation and get some sleep.

"What's going on?" Sora asked, rubbing his droopy eyes, seeing the faces of the two mares through the light of a candle.

"Rainbow Dash thinks Fluttershy's a tree!" Pinkie blurted out.

"I do not think she's a tree!" Rainbow corrected, "I was just—"

"Did you say she was a tree?" Sora, who was more than a little confused, questioned Rainbow.

"No. Well.. Yes. But not exactly—"

"Ya know Fluttershy isn't a tree, right?" Sora asked, not exactly understanding the context.

"She's not a tree, Dashie!" Pinkie continued.

"I'd like to be a tree..." Fluttershy inserted herself into the conversation.

"I don't wanna be a tree," Sora responded, "Sounds boring."

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" Yelled Spike. He had been listening in on the conversation and decided that he had enough. The little drake grabbed his blanket stormed out of the car to the one in the back, slamming the door behind him.

"Someone's a little huffy," Sora commented with a smirk.

"Huffy the magic dragon!" Fluttershy joked, causing the others to laugh.

"Would you all be quiet... now?!" Rarity demanded, having been kept awake because of this silly argument. The light of the candle illuminated her face, which looked like a freaky green faced monster with even greener eyes. The sight of this horror brought out screams from the four ponies, prompting Sora to blow out the candle as fast as possible.

—

The sun started to rise over the horizon. Sora cracked his eyes open, growing quite used to waking up early as of late. Since there were no immediate chores needed to be done today, Sora closed his eyes to get in a little more sleep. At least, he would have. It was faint, but Sora could feel underneath the telltale sign of a stampede.

"What's going on?" He questioned, sitting up straight. Curiosity taking over, the caramel pegasus looked out one of the train's windows to find a heard of bulky creatures galloping nearby. Upon closer inspection, Sora noticed that these creatures had horns and were wearing headbands with feathers sticking out. Twilight, having woken up herself, looked out as well to see what the commotion was.

"Oh my gosh!" She cried excitedly, "A buffalo stampede!"

Now Rarity looked as well, "Oh, I just love their accessories."

Something seemed off about this, it seemed as though they were gaining speed, and they were heading towards the train.

"Hey, are they getting closer?" Sora asked. It was true, the buffalo were getting closer, stampeding adjacent to the train. Two buffalo steered into the car the group was in, making the car tip over. The group all rolled back as their footing was elevated at an angle. Thankfully, the buffalo steered back, allowing the car to regain it's balance.

"Hey, what was that for?!" Sora grew angry.

"Ooh, a circus act!" Pinkie blurted, looking out the back window. Outside, a smaller, younger female buffalo was standing atop another buffalo, standing atop another buffalo, and getting closer to the train. The little buffalo in question had orange fur, a gold mane and a purple and white headband with two black and white feathers in the back. The small buffalo propelled herself up with a front-flip and landed on top of the train. She ran along the top of the car towards the caboose. It was a straight path until both Rainbow Dash and Sora flew on top of the train car.

"Hey!" Sora confronted the nimble buffalo, "What's the big idea?!" The buffalo did not respond, she merely smirked and galloped forward. Rainbow and Sora were about to intercept, but the buffalo jumped high in the air with incredible skill, performing multiple front flips before she landed.

"Hey, get back here!" Rainbow shouted, giving chase.

Sora was about to follow, but something kept him from doing so. He could've sworn he heard Rarity shrieking. Sora knew Rarity enough to think that it was probably nothing, but he couldn't possibly ignore a cry for help.

"Where in Equestria did they come from?!" Twilight exclaimed, she and the others facing off against a group of Shadow heartless. Their sudden appearance inside the train car was enough to make Rarity shriek in fright. Twilight released a shockwave of magical energy from her horn, pushing the Shadows back to the end of the car.

Sora rammed himself through the back door to assess the situation. Seeing the Shadows, Sora immediately brandished his keyblade and began slashing away at the heartless, dispatching 3 of them before the remaining two dipped into the ground.

One of them re-emerged in front of Fluttershy, who shrank back in fear as far as she could. Thankfully, Applejack was there to apple buck the heartless with enough force to send it flying straight through the window. The other one appeared in front of Twilight, only for the purple unicorn to blast the heartless away with a magic bolt from her horn. Even after the Heartless were dealt with, the ponies were on edge, until Sora broke the silence.

"Everyone alright?" He asked.

"I think so," Twilight answered, "Where's Rainbow Dash?"

"I think she's still up top," Sora responded. Just then, the train rumbled for a brief second, not enough to throw the group off balance but still plenty noticeable, "What was that?"

"That came from the back," Twilight said. Applejack's eyes went wide, a terrible thought suddenly occurring to her. She bolted down the train cars, the others following her till they reached the door to the caboose. What had happened was that the female buffalo had galloped to the end of the train and dislodged the caboose from the rest of the train. The stampeding buffalo now were pushing the caboose away from the train.

"They got Bloomberg!" Applejack yelled. That wasn't all, there was someone inside the caboose crying for help as he was being whisked away.

"And they have Spike!" Twilight exclaimed in pure horror. Before any of them knew it, the caboose was long gone. This was certainly an unexpected turn of events, and it made Sora nervous.

_"If the Heartless are here, then that must mean something's wrong."_

—

The train—pulled by horseback of all things—arrived at it's destination, a small bustling town in the desert where the buildings were wooden and simple in their design. Earth ponies were milling about on their daily routines, oblivious to what had occurred to the group. Greeting them was an earth pony stallion with yellow fur, a two tone dirty orange mane and tail, lime green eyes, and a simple Apple cutie mark. The stallion wore wore a brown stetson and a leather vest.

"Hey there!" He greeted enthusiastically with a wide smile, "Welcome ta A-A-PPLEOOSA!" He reared up his fore-legs as he uttered the town's name.

"Braeburn, listen—" Applejack said, but the pony called Braeburn interrupted her.

"Cousin Applejack, mind yer manners,," he scolded, "You have yet ta introduce me to your compadres! Shame on you!"

"Listen, Braeburn was it?" Sora interjected, "Something terrible happened."

"Terrible is right," the country pony replied, "Yer train is a full seven minutes late! That's seven minutes less for you to delight in the pleasures and wonders of... A-A-A-PPLEOOSA! Boggles the mind, we settler ponies built all this in just the past year, don't it?!" Sora had to take a step back from Braeburn's more than abundant energy, which did not stop, "And as you can see, we have all of the finest comforts. Like horse-drawn carriages!" He motioned to a carriage where a pony was pulling and another pony was riding passenger.

"Okay, you pull now," The pony pulling the carriage said.

"Aww, we just switched," The other complained.

"And those there are horse-drawn horse-drawn carriages," Braeburn motioned to a pony drawing the carriage.

"...Listen, Braeburn, I—" Suddenly, in a move that would make Pinkie Pie envious, Braeburn moved everypony to a well.

"And here's our local waterin' hole, the Salt Block."

Now they were in front of the Sheriff's office.

"Over there's the office of Sheriff Silverstar," Braeburn pointed to a light brown earth pony stallion with a dark brown mane and tail, a black mustache and blue eyes. He wore a black stetson, a red ascot paired with a blue vest and a silver sheriff's badge (which also was his cutie mark). The Sheriff tipped his hat to the ponies.

Then in the span of a few minutes, Braeburn showed the group the town's wild west dances, as well as the mild west dances.

"Braeburn, we—" Before Applejack could finish, the group was suddenly overlooking a wide and long stretching field of apple trees.

"And here's the most wonderful sight in all of... A-A-A-PPLEOOSA!" Braeburn declared with great pride, "Our apple orchard."

"Braeburn!" Applejack was quickly losing her patience, but Braeburn just kept going on his tangent.

"First harvest should be any day now."

"Braebu—"

"Good thing too!"

"Brae—"

"'Cause we need that grub to live on."

"BRAEBURN!" Applejack screamed at the top of her lungs. The volume and tone of her voice was enough to startle everyone.

After such a loud outburst, Braeburn responded sheepishly, "Uh, yes, cuz?"

Seeing as now she at last had his attention, Applejack composed herself, "Ya'll have a very nice town an' all, but we have a hu-uge problem! Some of our friends are missin'!"

"We were delivering a tree, but a bunch of buffaloes stole it from us," Sora further elaborated, "They even got one of our friends."

Almost at the drop of a hat, Braeburn's attitude seemed to change dramatically. Well, his eyes contorted into a whacky expression, then he shifted into a more somber disposition.

"Ya don't say," He said, overlooking the orchard, "Them buffalo want us settler ponies to take out all these trees, and they sure as spit don't want new ones added in."

"Why?" Sora asked, "What do they want?"

"Ah don't rightly know," Braeburn admitted, "But we can't just get rid of these here trees, this town needs 'em to feed our families and our foals. Now the buffalo want us ta get rid of 'em? T'ain't fair if ya ask me," The stallion let out a long winded sigh, "Ah tell ya, between the buffalo and them monsters, ah'm not sure 'bout the future of this town."

"Wait," Sora interrupted, "What monsters?" He had a feeling what Braeburn was talking about.

"Well, they're these pitch black creatures with terrifying glowing eyes," Braeburn described.

"I knew it," Sora's face grew stern, "Those heartless we ran into weren't just a coincidence."

"Heartless?" Braeburn repeated, "Is that what they're called? Well, in any case, folk are starting to worry with the buffalo harassing us and them Heartless up and about. The Sheriff's been on edge lately on account a' everything that's been goin' on."

"Can I say something?" Twilight chimed in, bringing everypony's attention to her, "I noticed that the heartless on the train appeared around the same time as the buffalo. You don't think there's a connection, do you?"

Twilight's theory did have some merit. It was hard to ignore the timing of each event.

"If that's the case, then Spike and Rainbow could be in serious danger," Sora concluded, his voice filled with dread.

"Um, excuse me..." Fluttershy timidly injected herself into the conversation, "Wasn't Pinkie Pie with us a second ago?" Fluttershy brought up an interesting point, Pinkie was missing. Sora could've sworn he saw her just a second ago.

"Oh no..." Twilight trailed off, "She must've tried looking for Rainbow Dash."

"It's not safe out there," Sora said, "Not with the Heartless. I'm going after them."

"What?!" Shouted everypony else.

"Sora, do you even know where to start looking?" Rarity asked.

"No," He admitted, leading to sighs of dejection from his friends, "But it's not like I can just sit here and do nothing."

"I'm going with you," Twilight stated.

"No, you should stay here."

"Sora, Spike's out there with the Heartless," Twilight reminded, "Who knows what kind of danger he's in. I have to find him," The purple unicorn's features displayed clear worry. Sora picked up on Twilight's concern.

"Think about it, Twilight," Sora said, "What if the Heartless invade the town? There needs to be someone here to defend this place," Twilight scrunched her face. Sora had a point, but leaving the potential fate of her number one assistant to somepony else felt wrong.

"Twilight," Applejack placed her hoof on the purple mare's shoulder, "Ya'll can trust Sora will bring our friends back safe," She gave Twilight an encouraging smile.

"I promise I'll bring him back safe," Sora told Twilight with stern conviction. After taking in a deep breath, Twilight gave Sora small smile.

"Alright, I'll leave this to you," She said.

Sora gave Twilight a curt nod before flying off. Braeburn, more than anypony else currently, looked utterly confused.

"Ya'll won't need to worry 'bout a thing, cuz," Applejack patted Braeburn's back, "Sora will set this right."

"Ya'll got alot a faith in 'im, doncha?" Braeburn said.

"Sure do," Applejack replied, "Sora's one a the most dependable ponies ah've ever met."

—

Sora traveled through the desert for hours. He encountered numerous heartless along the way, but he was more than capable of dispatching them. His vision reached a considerable distance when he was up in the air, getting a good look at the jagged terrain. While he was galloping along, he ran into a familiar cyan mare—literally. The two pegasi rolled on the ground where they ended up sprawled on the ground.

"There you are, Rainbow," He greeted in a relieved tone.

"What are you doing here?" Rainbow questioned in a hushed tone as she got up.

"I was trying to find you, Pinkie and Spike," Sora answered in a normal tone. The cyan mare shoved her hoof into his mouth.

"You need to be quiet."

Sora wrestled Rainbow's hoof away, "What for?"

"If you keep talking, it'll give away my position," Rainbow replied.

"BOO!" Said Pinkie Pie, scaring Sora and Rainbow out of their wits, resulting in the two pegasi falling on their backs. The pink mare giggled, seeing that her prank worked.

"Ugh, thanks for the heart attack, Pinkie!" Sora scolded in a raised voice as he picked himself back up.

"You have to admit, I got you both good," Pinkie smiled.

"Pinkie!" Rainbow rushed over to the pink mare and clamped her jaw shut, "Be quiet, you're gonna give away our—" As she was talking, the three ponies were suddenly surrounded by a circle of angry looking buffalo. In response to the immediate threat, Sora and Rainbow both stood in battle stances.

"Rainbow, I hope you're ready," Sora said brandishing his keyblade in his mouth.

"Hey guys!" Yelled a familiar voice. Both Rainbow and Sora lessened their stances when they heard that recognizable voice. It was Spike, he was perfectly fine and atop one of the buffalo's back, "It's okay guys! They're with me!" He informed the buffalo, who all eased themselves.

"Spike? You're okay!" Sora blurted, dismissing his keyblade.

"Sure am!" The purple drake replied, jumping off the buffalo's back, "The buffalo have major respect for dragons," He then bumped his fist with the hoof of the buffalo he was riding.

"That's great and all, but what's going on?" Sora questioned.

"Why don't we explain it on our way to the buffalo camp?" Spike suggested.

—

"So you're not in any danger?" Sora asked to Spike again. It was a long trek to the buffalo camp, but now the ponies were sitting at a fire enjoying the best food the buffalo had to offer.

"They only wanted the tree," Spike explained, "Once they found out they kidnapped me by accident, they felt so bad that they treated me like an honored guest."

"Well, that's pretty nice of them," Sora admitted.

"I say we get outta here!" Rainbow suggested.

"Are you joking?!" Pinkie shouted, having stuffed her face full of mushy food the buffalo had given her," "Before we finish eating? Can I get some more of this mushy stuff?"

"Certainly," A female buffalo replied, bringing over a bowl full of sapphires, "And more gemstones for you, yes?" She gave the bowl to Spike who eagerly dug in.

"This is Little Strongheart," Spike then gestured to the ponies, "These are my friends, Sora, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash," Both Sora and Rainbow shot up, as did Strongheart.

"Hey!" Sora pointed at Strongheart accusingly, "You're the thief!" The buffalo shrunk back as Sora flew in closer, "Where's Bloomberg?!"

"Who is Bloomberg?" She asked.

"That's it, we're outta here!" Rainbow cooperated.

"Wait," Strongheart pleaded, "Please forgive me. We meant you no harm. We only wanted the tree."

"Why are you guys so fixated on getting rid of the trees in Appleoosa?" Sora felt the need to ask, his face locked in a stern gaze.

"If you will allow me to explain," Strongheart gave Sora his request, "The Appleloosans have thoughtlessly planted their trees on our sacred stampeding grounds."

"Huh?" Sora tilted his head, "Sacred stampeding grounds?"

"Perhaps it's time you met Chief Thunderhooves," Strongheart suggested.

Chief Thunderhooves was a tall and massive buffalo with dark brown fur wearing a headdress completely adorned with feathers. Sora could not help but feel intimidated by the chief's demanding presence. When his gaze met with Sora's, the buffalo leader bore into Sora, studying him carefully.

"What is it?" Sora nervously asked.

"I can see see it in your eyes," Thunderhooves spoke in a booming voice, "Your heart burns with the fire of a warrior in your heart."

Sora's ears perked up, "Really, you think so?" The chief nodded his head, making the pegasus smile in response.

"Quite the feat, considering how weak and frail you appear," The Chief added, making Sora do a double take. Rainbow and Pinkie laughed to themselves, mostly from Sora's reaction.

_"Did I just get insulted?!"_ Sora sighed in dejection, desperate to change the subject, "So, Little Strongheart said something about a stampeding ground?"

"My people have a path that we tread upon. Our ancestors have treaded on that ground for generations," Thunderhooves said, "My father trampled on that ground, and my grandfather, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his—"

"Chief, I think they get the point," Little Strongheart interrupted. The chief cleared his throat.

"Every year, we travel along the sacred path, but now our sacred grounds have been overtaken by the Appleloosans and their trees. To make matters even worse, dark shadows now infest these lands," Thunderhooves features fell into dread.

"Dark shadows?" Sora repeated, "You mean the Heartless?"

"Heartless?" Chief Thunderhooves repeated, to which Sora nodded, "So, they are creatures without hearts? An omen such as this can only spell disaster," Hearing how Thunderhooves expressed his concern, coupled with the buffalo's hospitality towards Spike, Sora concluded that the buffalo were not responsible for this Heartless epidemic, "I hope you now understand our plight, warrior," The buffalo let out a long winded sigh, "Do you understand how disheartening and frustrating it is to have something precious to you taken away?"

Sora did not answer for a while. After hearing what Thunderhooves said, the caramel pegasus lowered his head and breathed evenly, insinuating he was deep in thought. His friends took notice of this strange behavior, wondering what might be wrong. Finally, he lifted his head to address Thunderhooves.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sora asked. A simple question, but it told the chief all he needed to know.

"I don't suppose you could do anything about those shadows," Thunderhooves requested.

"Those shadows, the Heartless, are drawn to the darkness in someone's hearts," Sora informed, "Has anything happened that might have attracted them?"

Chief Thunderhooves snorted in response, "Those beasts had not arrived until the settler ponies did. The only thing that can be done is to remove all of those trees those Appleloosans have thoughtlessly planted."

Sora choked back a response. He knew that the trees nor the Appleloosans were not responsible for the Heartless epidemic, but he was not sure how to tell that to Thunderhooves.

_"What am I supposed to do?"_ Sora contemplated, _"I want to help the buffalo, but I can't just make the Appleloosans suffer."_

"Those trees gotta go!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "It's the only way the buffalo can get their stampede grounds back!"

"Wait, hold on!" Sora said, desperate to keep someone from doing something rash, "Maybe you guys should just talk to the Appleoosans," Thunderhooves looked at Sora with raised eyebrows, "It can't hurt to try. Maybe you guys can work something out."

"I think we should go with his idea, chief," Little Strongheart agreed, "I'm not particularly fond of resorting to theft. Perhaps diplomacy is the best option."

Thunderhooves pondered for a brief moment before letting out a sigh, "Very well, I will hear what the Appleoosans have to say."

"Good," Sora nodded his head, happy that the chief agreed. Deep down, however, the caramel pegasus felt something might go wrong.

—

"I don't like this," Twilight said, "He's been gone for too long."

"You don't think the Heartless got him, do you?" Fluttershy fearfully asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Fluttershy," Rarity dissuaded, "Sora's far too strong for that to happen."

"If anything, ah bet Sora knocked them buffalo down a peg," Applejack vouched. She would be validated when she saw Sora flying towards the front of town. He was joined by Spike, Rainbow, Pinkie, Little Strongheart and Chief Thunderhooves. The latter two were a shock for the ponies, but a certain purple unicorn was not very concerned with that at the moment.

"Spike!" Twilight cheered, galloping towards her number one assistant so that she could graciously embrace him. Applejack was far less enthusiastic, she was more so confused.

"Sora, what are they doing here?" Applejack questioned with a leer towards the buffalo.

"We brought our new buffalo friends here so that they could talk things out with the Appleloosans," Sora explained.

Braeburn looked to be very accepting of the idea, "Well, that would be quite help—"

"That's weird," Applejack interrupted, giving Sora a casting glance, "'Cause my cousin, Braeburn here wants to explain to the buffalo why they should let the apple trees stay."

Little Strongheart seemed to be open to the idea of negotiation, "That would be a useful thing to—"

"The land is theirs!" Rainbow interrupted, "You planted the trees on their sacred stampeding grounds. Honest mistake. Now, you just gotta move 'em, that's all."

Braeburn rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Well... heh..."

"They busted their rumps here!" Applejack argued, "An' now they're supposed ta bust their rumps again, just 'cause some buffalo won't stampede someplace else?"

"Plant the trees somewhere else!" Rainbow demanded.

"Where?!" Applejack shouted back, bringing her face closer to Rainbow's, "It's the only flatland around these parts!"

"The buffalo had it first!"

"The settler ponies need it to live!"

"Stop it!" Sora threw himself between the two mares and pushed them away from each other, "Fighting about it won't solve anything!"

"Well, what do we have here?" Spoke a stallion's voice. It was Sheriff Silverstar, who was approaching Chief Thunderhooves with contempt, "You thieves dare show yer face in mah town?"

"You dare call us thieves?!" Thunderhooves roared in offense, "It was you settlers who stole the land from us!"

"Ya'll expecting us to starve jus' cause ya can't run somewhere else?" The sheriff fired back.

"I expect you to show respect for the land!" Thunderhooves shouted. As the two leaders traded verbal blows with one another, Shadow heartless emerged all around the area.

"Heartless!" Sora shouted, immediately brandishing his keyblade to slash away at the dark monsters. The sheriff and chief both widened their eyes as the monsters circled around. Sora wasted no time slashing away the Shadows with ease. The others helped as well, dispatching heartless as they were able. The chief and sheriff, however, viewed this scene with anger boiling inside the both of them. When Sora destroyed the last Shadow, he breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, things were only about to get worse.

"Ah knew ya'll couldn't be trusted!" Sheriff Silverstar spouted, pointing an accusatory hoof at Thunderhooves, "Ya'll went and siced yer monsters on us!"

"Our monsters?!" Thunderhooves shouted, "You have some serious nerve to say that! These lands were safe until you Appleloosans came along! If you wont remove your trees, we will do so by force!"

"Is that a threat ah hear?!" The Sheriff leered at the Chief.

"If you will not leave in peace, then we will drive you out ourselves!" Thunderhooves challenged.

"No," Sora breathed. It was something the others probably would not have caught onto, but Sora could more than make out the black wisps emanating from the sheriff and chief.

"If that's how ya want it, then we throw down tomorrow at high noon!" Silverstar proposed.

"No, no, no!" Sora shook his head, "Listen to me! You can't keep fighting like this!"

"Stay out of this!" Both the sheriff and chief yelled at the pegasus, who shrunk in shock.

"We accept your challenge!" Thunderhooves replied, turning away from the sheriff and trotting off, "Come, Little Strongheart, we must prepare for battle."

"But chief..." Strongheart spoke in an unsure voice.

"That is final!" He roared, silencing any protests she might have had. The two buffalo left the town, leaving behind a grim atmosphere. The sheriff left the group so that he could prepare the town's defense.

"Well, that went terribly," Pinkie broke the ice, "And I had such a great idea how to bring them all together."

"Nice going, Sora," Applejack rolled her eyes sarcastically. All eyes were on Applejack for uttering such a derogatory remark.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora questioned.

"Near as ah can tell, you've just gone and made a big mess of things!" Applejack retorted, "Y'all haven't solved Appleoosa's problem at all."

"What?" Sora felt insulted, "What was I supposed to do? You tell me? Kick the buffalo out? That's just cruel!"

"Seems to me like ya turned yer back on this town!" Applejack spouted.

"Applejack, that's not fair," Twilight interjected, but Sora continued the argument.

"I'm on everyone's side," He said, "You act like there's only two ways this can end."

"Well, ah'll tell ya what ah want," Applejack said, "Ah want to make sure mah family can keep Appleoosa thrivin', but you can't make that happen, now can ya?"

"I'm doing the best that I can," Sora said, turning away from Applejack.

"Well, yer best ain't good enough," Applejack responded, "I'd just about say yer worthless," Something ticked in Sora's brain as soon as he heard that. All of a sudden, he grew angry.

"Okay, fine!" Sora yelled, "If that's how it is, then deal with it yourself!" With that, Sora stormed off, away from town. Applejack hadn't changed her expression as Sora trotted off. It was not until she glanced to the disapproving looks of her friends that her attitude shifted. She had gone from miffed to regretful in almost an instant.

—

As it was nearing dusk, the Appleoosans were building up their defenses for the buffalo's attack tomorrow afternoon, setting up barricades and harvesting apples for some strange reason. Twilight surveyed the preparations as she sighed in contempt.

"Ugh, why won't anypony listen to reason?" She whined.

"Twilight?" The purple unicorn turned around to find Applejack, "Ya haven't seen Sora around, have ya?"

"I haven't seen him anywhere," Twilight shook her head. The farm mare sighed.

"Ah would probably leave too if ah were in his hooves, after ah chewed him out the way ah did," Applejack's ears slumped, "Ah don't think it'll ever be the same between us. Serves me right for being so stubborn."

"Applejack, you're being far too hard on yourself," Twilight attempted to console.

"Ah wish he was still here," The farm mare lamented, trotting away in sadness. Twilight saw this scene and could not help but recall when she made Sora upset all those months ago. Her guilt nearly ate her alive, and now Applejack was feeling the same thing. Twilight hoped with all her heart that the two would reconcile soon.

—

The stars were so serene, so peaceful. They invited a world of infinite potential to those who looked upon them, yet very few knew of what they really offered.

"I wonder which one of those stars is my home?" Sora pondered, "How long have I been here? A few months? Why does it feel like I've been here forever? I wonder if my friends are even looking for me. What would I even say to them if I ever see them again?" He reached out into his pocket and pulled out his wayfinder, holding it up with both his hooves as he starred into it, "What would I say to her?" He placed the charm onto his chest, tears beginning to form in his eyes. His heart felt heavy. Both the Appleloosans and the buffalo would fight tomorrow, and he could not do anything to stop it. 'Worthless,' he hated that word.

"I've fought so hard, but I'm still separated from the people I care most for," Sora shook his head, "My heart is crying out in pain, but that means I haven't forgotten what's important. I've always followed my heart, and right now it's telling me to not give up."

After a hard sigh, Sora sat up and declared with vigor: "I'm a keyblade wielder. That means I have to protect this world from the darkness, no matter what!"

—

It was a tense atmosphere as the Appleloosans stood ready behind their spiked wooden barricades. They had their choice of weaponry, apples and—pies? It was five minutes till noon and the ponies were anxious. Twilight and her group were off to the sidelines, as was Braeburn, for they did not want to participate in this battle. In the distance, the buffalo could be seen in a large grouping, preparing to charge. Little Strongheart was among them, yet she did not seem to like this situation one bit.

The clock struck twelve, twelve chimes sounded off. After the last, Thunderhooves reared up and roared in a war cry. The buffalo charged forward with reckless abandon. Their thunderous stampede caused the ground itself to rumble. The ponies prepared themselves for the inevitable clash, bracing for impact. However, that impact did not come to fruition.

A massive gust of turbulent winds blustered in between both armies. A great amount of dust was spread across the entire area, forcing everyone to cover their eyes from the whirlwind. Just as quickly as it appeared, the tornado died down in an instant. The lingering cloud of dust pervaded for some time, further delaying the upcoming battle. The dust eventually did settle, enough so that everyone was able to open their eyes again. Both sides looked forward to find something new in between, or more accurately, somepony.

"Sora!?" Twilight exclaimed. The caramel pegasus stood between the two armies, his face bearing a stern and fierce gaze.

"What are you doing here, warrior?" Chief Thunderhooves roared in anger.

"I'm here to stop this," He declared.

"What in tarnation are you sayin'?" Silverstar spouted.

"I'm saying that I won't let you fight!" Sora stated.

"You have no right to interfere in this affair!" Thunderhooves boomed, "Leave or face the consequences!"

"If it means stopping everyone from hurting each other, then I'll gladly interfere," Sora retorted back.

"T'aint no other way this could go!" Sherrif Silverstar retorted.

"No," Sora denied, "I refuse to believe that. I know that there's a peaceful way to end this."

"And what makes you so sure about that?" Thunderhooves questioned, "How could we coexist with one another?"

"Both of you only want what's best for those closest to you," Sora said, "Isn't that enough common ground? If you all keep fighting, it'll lead to more heartbreak."

"There cannot be peace between us," Thunderhooves shook his head.

"Because neither of you will let it," Sora responded.

"This is ridiculous," Silverstar said, "Get outta the way!"

"I'm not leaving from this spot!" Sora stated. Both Thunderhooves and Silverstar glared at the caramel pegasus. At the same time, the buffalo and the Appleoosans were looking unsure. Was this fight really necessary.

"If these settlers stay, the land will continue to be bathed in darkness," Thunderhooves argued.

"Don't pin this on us!" Silverstar interjected, "Those beasts belong to you!" The chief snarled.

"Stop it!" Sora yelled, "This is exactly what the Heartless want. Both of you are giving in to the darkness."

"Be silent!" Thunderhooves roared.

"Ya'll are playing a dangerous game here, boy," Silverstar warned.

Before any more insults could be thrown, swarms of Shadows appeared all around, near the ponies and near the buffalo. The heartless counted in the dozens, and they were soon supported by numerous Soldiers and a few Large Bodies. The ponies and buffalo were thrown into a panic, running off in random directions. Sora, however, summoned his keyblade and immediately began hacking away at the heartless, throwing out magic spells as needed. The mares (sans Fluttershy) jumped into the fray as well.

The town turned into a chaotic war zone, with most trying to avoid the heartless. During the chaos, new heartless entered the fray. They emerged from the ground itself, resembling hedgehogs but with spines that were made of rock. Applejack backed away, wary of what this heartless was capable of. Applejack reared up her hind-legs and kicked this new heartless square in the face, sending it sprawling into a hapless Soldier.

Rainbow dropped down on one of the hedgehog-like heartless from the back, only for her hoof to bounce right off.

"What the heck?" She questioned.

"Rainbow!" Sora called out, dispatching a Large Body, "You have to attack those heartless from the front!"

"Gotcha!" Rainbow nodded, flying up to the heartless' face so that she could kick it.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Silverstar was observing the chaos unfolding, taking note of a particular fact that was hard to ignore, "Those buffalo ain't working with them beasts!"

Thunderhooves was having a similar epiphany, seeing the Appleoosans trying to protect their own, "They truly do look out for their own," His pondering did not last long. A Large Body charged into a stand carrying pies, trying to hit Pinkie, sending pies flying. One pie hit Thunderhooves square in the face, sending him tumbling backwards with apple pie bits plastered on his features. He ended up sprawled on the floor in a daze with his tongue hung out. Some of the mush from the pie landed on his tongue, now he could taste it. Thunderhooves eyes shot open; it was delicious.

Back to the battle, Sora activated his Second Form, unleashing multi-hitting combos on any heartless close to him. One of the hedgehog-like heartless dissolved into sand. That was not the end of it as it re-emerged into a large worm, made entirely out of sand, with the swirly eyes and jagged mouths the heartless normally had.

The sand worm fired stones from it's mouth towards Pinkie, who joyfully dodged each stone. Having skipped near a tray full of pies, Pinkie made a lightbulb appear over her head. The pink mare began chucking pies at the sand heartless, knocking it back with each pie that made contact. After the last pie hit, the worm was dizzy. The assault was not yet over as Sora flew over to the worm's head and dashed through it with his keyblade pointed forwards. Sora followed up with six consecutive lunges, the last of with made the heartless dissipate into sand.

With Applejack, she was lassoing a Soldier when a Large Body charged into her, sending her flying towards the town's orchard.

"Applejack!" Sora cried out, having seen the farm mare get launched. After quickly dispatching the Large Body with fire magic, Sora bolted towards where Applejack landed, near the edge of the orchard. When Sora reached her, he quickly casted a cure spell on her.

"Applejack, you okay?" Sora said in concern, helping the farm mare on her hooves.

"Ah'm fine," She answered, her vision blurry but was unharmed all things considered.

"There's less and less heartless showing up," Sora noted, "We should be able to keep the town safe."

An ominous roar, coupled with a few booming steps made Sora reconsider his statement. The stomps were coming from the orchard. Whatever it was, it was knocking trees out of the ground like they were sticks. As the stomps were getting closer, Sora took the initiative and pulled himself and Applejack away from the edge of the orchard.

A giant axe swung forward, taking off four trees from the ground. Sora and Applejack were pelted with wooden shrapnel and stray apples as the newcomer made itself known. It was another heartless, far larger than the ones the ponies had seen thus far. Sora's seen it before, and it was still just as intimidating as before. It was a large humanoid wearing armor that was made of rock. It had broad shoulders with spikes protruding from it's sides and short stubby legs. It's back was hunched, the neck surrounded by an overlapping chain. It carried a massive, jagged, short handed axe that had a carving of a heartless face on it's side. The massive heartless flex as it was surrounded by a red aura. The ponies and buffalo who were nearby gawked in fear at this giant heartless. Applejack in particular froze in fear since she was so close to it. Sora, however, gritted his teeth in determination.

The towering heartless stepped forward, cause a slight tremor with each step. The heartless swung its axe overhead, intending to dispatch of Sora and Applejack quickly, only for Sora to defect it with his keyblade in an impressive display of strength. He went to work, Slashing the heartless' head while it tried to swat him away.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Rainbow were cleaning up the small fry heartless in the middle of town. As The purple unicorn fired another magic bolt at a Soldier, her ears picked up a commotion coming from not so far away. She turned her head and gasped at the sight of Sora battling a giant heartless.

"What in Equestria?!" She yelled, getting the attention of Rainbow, who unleashed an uppercut on a hapless Shadow. The cyan mare looked towards the giant heartless as well, her jaw dropping in shock.

Sora unleashed a raknarok volley on the giant heartless, making it stagger backwards. Sora lunged forward to strike, but the heartless swung in a retaliatory effort, sending Sora flying back towards the center of town.

"Sora!" Applejack called out, chasing after the caramel pony.

Rarity was busy kicking away a Shadow when Sora crashed near her, his body aching in protests to his movements. Rarity gasped and galloped over to Sora; Applejack joined them not soon after.

"Sora, are you alright?" Rarity asked out of instinct, of course he wasn't alright. Applejack helped Sora back on his hooves as he shook his head to clear his blurry vision.

"I'll be fine," He said, reaching into his saddlebags with his wing. He pulled out a blue bottle with a strange green liquid. Rather than drink from the bottle, Sora threw the bottle into the air were it exploded into a shower of green dust and leaves. Almost immediately, Sora showed signs of better health. Rarity and Applejack widened their eyes. That wasn't Sora's cure magic, but it provided a similar effect.

The heartless were more or less taken care off, except for the big one, who was lumbering into the town proper. The other mares soon joined up with Rarity, Applejack and Sora as they faced the massive heartless.

"That guy's preeeety big," Pinkie commented.

"So what?" Sora responded with a smirk, "There's more of us," Sora prepared himself for another clash with the heartless, until...

"YEE HAW!" Screamed a stallion's voice. The massive heartless perked up at the sound. Before it could respond, twelve lassos wrapped around it's left wrist, making the heartless jerk it's head to the side and drop it's axe. The group all widened their eyes as they saw this unfold.

Braeburn and some of the town's ponies had the heartless tied up. The monster turned towards them so that it could deal with this issue, but another round of lassos entangled it's right wrist, forcing it to pull it's arm back. Now the Apploosans had the monster in a lock. The giant heartless squirmed in protest, but it could not break it's arms free from earth pony strength.

"Now!" Braeburn yelled. Almost instantly, a swarm of buffalo with Little Strongheart leading the charge stampeded towards the heartless. The ponies released their hold on their ropes just in time for the buffalo to crash into it, forcing it to fall on it's back while the buffalo trampled all over it.

After the attack finished, everyone carefully kept their eyes on the heartless. It was not moving, but it had yet to disappear. To the disappointment of everyone, the heartless lethargically pulled itself out of the ground and stood back up. Everyone readied themselves as the behemoth grabbed hold of it's axe. It placed it's axe over it's face like some sort of mask. The heartless overflowed with some sort of red aura as it roared in rage.

"Oh come on!" Rainbow yelled. The heartless gave a heavy stomp on the ground, pushing out rock spikes that scared away anyone near them. The heartless continued this trend, pushing out pillars of rock that made everyone scatter in an unorganized mess.

While Applejack was avoiding the pillars, she unknowingly wandered right in front of the heartless. When she realized her mistake, she was frozen in terror as the heartless reared back it's fist.

Sora jumped in front of Applejack and held his keyblade in front. While he was spared the brunt of the attack, the sheer forced knocked him into Applejack, leading to both ponies being tumbled away a fair distance. The two ponies were able to recover themselves shortly.

Despite the severity of the situation, Applejack could not help but feel her guilt eating away at her.

"Sora," Applejack choked, "I..."

"Applejack," Sora shook his head, "Just forget about what happened," The farm mare was taken aback at how he could just forgive her so easily, "Right now, we have to save the town. Are you with me?" He held out his hoof for her to take. Applejack hesitated for a brief moment, but a quick look at Sora's determined smile gave her all the confidence she needed.

With a stern nod, Applejack responded, "Okay, ah'm with ya!" With that, she slapped her hoof with his. In that moment, both ponies were enveloped in a bright light for just the briefest of seconds. In that one moment in time, Sora and Applejack's thoughts merged into a single purpose. All of a sudden, they knew what to do.

Applejack grabbed hold of Sora's other fore-hoof and began to spin at a fast rate. Steadily, Applejack spun faster to the point where both ponies were a rotating blur. The giant heartless took notice of this and began to lethargically stomp it's way towards them. The ponies did not falter in any way. Eventually, after so much spinning, Applejack released her hold on Sora, launching him towards the heartless. Sora traveled at breakneck speed. In the few moments where he traveled, he reared up his hind-legs as if he was preparing to apple buck a tree. With perfect timing, Sora kicked his legs outward, impacting the heartless' mask.

The result was instantaneous. The impact created a shockwave that pushed a circle of dust that plumed outward. The axe shattered in pieces, rendering it unusable. The heartless felt the most from the impact, being sent flying twenty feet backwards and sliding another ten. Everyone who witnessed this attack had to cover their eyes from the amount of dust that was thrown out. When the dust settled, everyone could see the result of the attack. The heartless was struggling to stand up, it's frame swaying while it's arms lagged. And then there was Sora, keyblade in mouth and prepared to strike. In a flash, Sora struck, ending up on the opposite side of the heartless in the blink of an eye.

The heartless stopped moving. Letting out a low whine as it's body fell forward, the behemoth landed on the ground with a loud thud. The tone was silent as the heartless lay there. Finally, the beast began to dissipate as the crystalline heart trapped inside was released, floating away until it vanished.

The celebration was immediate, with pony and buffalo alike jumping for joy, the Appleloosans throwing their hats up in the air. Sora dismissed his keyblade and sighed in relief.

"All clear," He said, then Pinkie grabbed hold of him.

"Wow! That was the most impressive limit I've ever seen, I mean I've only ever seen you do a limit one other time but this way better than the last," Pinkie Pie gasped over-dramatically, "What would my limit with you be like, my head's spinning just thinking about it—"

"Pinkie, can you let go please?" Sora requested politely. The pink mare obliged.

"Geez, no need to be such a drama queen," She retorted, making Sora slump in dejection.

"Wooee!" Braeburn exclaimed, "That was some fight!"

"A battle worthy of song!" Little Strongheart.

"We would've been hosed if it wasn't for you two," Sora complimented the two of them.

"Aw, shucks," Braeburn modestly replied, "It was just something me and Little Strongheart thought of real quick."

"But you must admit, it was amazing," Strongheart chuckled.

"Yes it was," Spoke Chief Thunderhooves spoke as he and Sheriff Silverstar approached Sora.

"Ya'll really think we can work something out?" Silver asked Sora.

"Braeburn and Little Strongheart just proved that buffaloes and Appleoosans are more than able to work together," The caramel pony answered, "If they can do it, there's no reason you can't."

Thunderhooves and Silverstar both looked to the floor in unease.

"You might not have known it, but both of you were giving in to the darkness," Sora explained, "That's what drew the Heartless here, all of your fighting. If you keep going at each other's throats, you'll be lost to the darkness. I honestly don't know how you can come to a comprise, but you both owe it to those you lead. They deserve better than being caught in the crossfire."

With everything that has happened, coupled with Sora's brief speech, both leaders addressed each other.

"Chief, ah'm sorry fer vilifying ya the way ah did," Silverstar apologized while placing his hat over his chest, "We mighta done so without knowin', but we still robbed ya."

"I was under the impression you Appleoosans were disrespectful heathens," Thunderhooves spoke solemnly, "While you may not have been born here, you've made this place your home, and you look out for each other."

"For the sake a your folk and mine, let's see if we can work something out," Silverstar proposed.

"Agreed," Thunderhooves said, but then reverted back to his usual stoicism, "On one condition," The grew tense as the chief paused, making everyone nervous. The tension was dropped when Thunderhooves cracked a wide, "If you'd share your delicious pies with us!"

Silverstar tipped his hat, "Heh, done!" With that, everyone cheered for joy at the newfound peace between Appleoosa and the buffalo.

While everyone was cheering, Sora pulled Braeburn aside, "You guys were seriously gonna use pies as weapons?" He whispered.

"Ya'll don't know the true power of a freshly baked Appleoosan Apple Pie," Braeburn responded.

Sora blinked multiple times, trying to comprehend what he just heard. He decided to go with the Pinkie Pie method: Don't question it.

—

When negotiating a solution that would benefit everyone, Twilight proposed a brilliant idea. Twilight's plan was to cut a path through the orchard large enough for the buffalo to stampede through. This way, the Appleloosans could keep their town while the buffalo could keep their tradition. The process took the rest of the day to complete, with the project ending near dusk. Sora stood near the orchard where he saw the buffalo stampede through the path that was made, a smile etched on his face.

"Say, Sora?" Spoke a familiar country drawl. Sora turned his head to find Applejack approaching.

"Hey, A.J, what's up?"

"Ah wanted to thank ya, Sora," She said, "For everything. Ya'll risked yer tail fer this town, even after ah blew ya off the way ah did," The farm mare let out a chuckle, "Ah guess that's just the kinda pony you are, helping others no matter what they say."

Sora wanted to say something, but the words were not coming to him, so he decided to do what he's always done, listen to his heart.

"I had to do something," He responded, "I know how much this town means to your family, and I didn't want the buffalos to lose something close to them. If they just kept fighting the way they did, then it would've ended bad for everyone. I'm just glad everything worked out."

Applejack smiled at that answer, it sounded exactly like what Sora would say, and he meant it too.

Applejack let out a short sight, "Ah'm sorry for what ah said yesterday. Ah had no right ta say the things ah did. Ya'll are anythin' but worthless."

"You don't have to apologize, A.J," Sora replied with a smile, "Helping you out is the least I could do for you and your family."

"Whadaya mean?" The farm mare asked.

"I was a stranger and you guys took me in just like that. You didn't need to do that, but you showed me such great hospitality," Sora rubbed the back of his head, "I feel like I have to repay you in some way."

"Sora, let me stop ya right there," Applejack interrupted, making Sora give her his full undivided attention, "Don't ya'll ever think that ya owe me or mah family anythin'. We were more than happy ta give you a place to stay. Besides, you've more than payed yer worth to us. When you showed up all those months back, our farm's been doing better than it ever has. We used to have issues meeting our daily quota, but with you around we've harvested more apples than we know what to do with. On top a that, Apple Bloom's been more cheery than ever since ya showed up," Applejack paused for a moment before continuing, "you've done alot for mah family, Sora. Matter a fact, ah'd darn well say your like a part of the family."

Sora was taken aback by such a statement. She considered him family? "Do you really mean that?" In response, Applejack wrapped her hooves around Sora in a hug.

"This answer yer question?"

Sora let out a small chuckle before returning the gesture, "Yeah."

_"I'm really lucky to have friends like these."_

—

**For those of you wondering why there is no explicit Pocahontas reference in this chapter, here is my argument: I've never seen Pocahontas.**

**Also, I'm really excited for Re:Mind.**


	16. The Cutie Mark Chronicles

**Before the chapter begins, I want to give an announcement on where I will be taking Kingdom Harmony in the future.**

**First and foremost, I want to disclose how I will be adapting the remaining seasons of FIM. The way I decided to format the story is as follows: Each season will have it's own story dedicated to it. The way I like to see it as is each season acting as a "volume" of Kingdom Harmony. What this means is "Best Night Ever" will be the final chapter of this particular story, or volume. Season two will have it's own story file dedicated to it, as will season three and so on. I decided to make it this way so that Kingdom Harmony wont have an intimidating 1,000,000+ words in the future.**

**The next topic I want to address is how I will be handling future Kingdom Hearts story content as it gets released in the future. Now that Re:Mind has been released, new details about the Kingdom Hearts cannon have been revealed to us. Before Re:Mind came out, I had plans for how I wanted things to progress regarding Kingdom Hearts characters. Because of Re:Mind, I have to rethink and revise a few concepts. I even had to scrap one particular idea I was really excited for.**

**Perhaps the greatest question that will arise as I continue the story will be "What's with Yozora?" I'll try to incorporate him as best I can, but we still know so very little about him as is. Who is he? What's his connection to Sora? And why does his driver suspiciously have Luxord's hair style? Obviously, Tetsuya Nomura has his own plans for the future of Kingdom Hearts, and I know I will not be able to predict what kind of insanity he will present us with next. With that in mind, I'll mostly stick with my own ideas as the story progresses. I might incorporate some of the new story elements from future games as time progresses, that will all depend if they mesh with what I have in mind for Kingdom Harmony. Normura is an unpredictable storyteller and he'll always answer questions that will lead to new questions. I am almost certain that the Master of Masters will be the next major villain now that Xehanort in done and dusted (at least I hope he is), so I might incorporate the Lost Masters in the future.**

**(If Sora turns out to be the Master of Masters, I will flip out in rage.)**

**One more thing I want to say, I am very happy that Kingdom Harmony has gotten such positive reception. Here's a little history lesson about myself, I created my profile years ago. Back then, I tried writing stories but I didn't have a developed writing style. Eventually, I abandoned the profile, where it lied dormant for years. As my writing style continued to grow throughout college, so too did my desire to write fanfiction. One particular fanfic combination I was interested in for a while was My Little Pony and Kingdom Hearts. The similar themes between the two franchises made it seem like an ideal combination. Strangely, there weren't many crossover fics with these two franchises.**

**I eventually decided to try it out for myself and draft "Kingdom Harmony." Interesting fact, the initial draft of the story originally featured Kairi as the main character. It would have been set during the events of Kingdom Hearts 3 while Sora's journeying through the worlds and it would have had Kairi being sent to Equestria as part of her Keyblade training. I was planning the idea before KH3 actually came out. In the end, I decided to wait until the game came out so that I could decide what I wanted to do. Funnily enough, Sora disappearing offered the perfect opportunity for him to be planted in Equestria, so I decided to focus the story on Sora after the events of KH3.**

**With the first chapter complete, and the next few in the works, I went back to my old profile and deleted everything I posted years ago. I had a clean slate and I'm glad that I did it. When the follows, favorites, and reviews were flowing in, I was overwhelmed with the tremendous response I received. None of the previous stories I tried writing in the past gave me this amount of success. I cannot fully express my appreciation to all of you who read this story.**

**_One more thing_, Sora will not be shipped with any of the Mane Six.**

**Anyway, sorry for the long prelude; I just wanted to share my plans of this story. With that said, here's The Cutie Mark Chronicles.**

—

"Where am I?"

He floated down in the pitch black space, time seeming to have stopped completely. The only thing he had were his thoughts.

"Am I... Doing it again?"

He's been in this scenario before in the past. Each time just as confusing as the last. There was light in this place, and he was fast approaching it. He had seen it before, a stain glass platform with an intricate pink and white design, aside from six blank diamonds, one large one in the middle and five more surrounding it.

He flipped his frame forward, landing atop the platform gently. The whole area was familiar in some way.

"Ive been here before," He said, "This was before I woke up in Applejack's house."

Sora understood that each of his visits to the Station of Awakening usually meant something of significance, but he was never sure at the time.

Something else also dawned on him, "I'm in my normal body," No longer was he a pony. He looked around his surroundings once more. In almost an instant, one of the outer diamonds began to glow a bright light. Sora looked at the glowing diamond in curiosity. Seeing nothing else he could do here, Sora walked onto the glowing diamond.

His vision was blurred with a bright light, leading him to shield his eyes. He opened them shortly after.

—

"Huh?" This location was all but familiar to Sora, "This is the Apple farm. What am I doing here? And why aren't I a pony here?" As he was pondering, he noticed a few ponies in the distance. One was a filly with a bag on a stick who looked remarkably familiar. She was trotting away from the farmstead with Granny Smith and a teenage stallion with red fur looking sad.

"Wait a minute," Sora came upon a realization. The orange fur and the blonde mane should have clued him in, but there were a few characteristics that were missing, mainly the stetson and the three apple cutie mark, "Is that Applejack?"

Before Sora could figure out what was going on, there was a flash of light. Suddenly, he was off the apple farm and in a new location, one he had never seen in Equestria before, a cosmopolitan city with ponies strewing about every street, and Sora was still in his true form.

"Oh no!" Sora panicked, but then he soon realized that no one was paying attention to him. Confused, Sora reached out towards a random pony, only for his hand to phase right through, "Am I not really here? What's going on?"

Sora took notice of filly Applejack trotting along the sidewalk, taking in the sights of the tall buildings and impressive structures, "Wait, am I looking at a memory Applejack had? Does this mean she left home when she was a kid?"

When looking over at little Applejack, she accidentally bumped into one of the passerbys, "Hey! Watch where your going!" He yelled at Applejack

"I just can't imagine Applejack trying to live in the big city," Sora said. Little Applejack stopped trotting for a minute to look at an apartment building she was near.

There was another flash of light, now Sora was inside a fancy apartment where a couple was letting Applejack inside. The mare was a light beige earth pony with blue eyes wearing a golden necklace adorned with green and orange jewels. Her light orange mane and tail were neatly done, indicating a high financial standing. Her cutie mark was three orange slices. Her husband was an earth pony as well, sporting blue eyes, a dirty blonde coat, a well combed lime green mane, and a cutie mark of a single orange.

"Aunt Orange! Uncle Orange!" Little Applejack spoke in a cute, high pitch southern drawl, "Thank y'all so much for lettin' me stay!"

"Aunt and Uncle Orange?" Sora repeated, "I don't think I've ever heard A.J talk about them. In fact, I don't think I saw them at the reunion."

"'Y'all,'" Aunt Orange laughed, "Isn't she just the living end?"

"How quaint," Uncle Orange chuckled

"What the heck are they even saying?" Sora wondered.

"Don't worry," Aunt Orange lifted Applejack's chin, "We'll have you acting like a true Manehattanite in no time."

There was another flash. Now Applejack, her mane styled to look like her Aunt's, was sitting at a dinner table with a number of guests, each of them posh and snooty.

"And how are you finding good old Manehattan?" Asked one of The Socialites to little Applejack.

"Oh, it's simply divine," Applejack spoke in an uncharacteristically posh accent.

"Very well said, my dear," Aunt Orange complimented. Sora was beside himself.

"A.J talking like Rarity?" He said, "That just doesn't seem right."

"Although, I must admit the city noise took some getting used to," Applejack continued, "Where I'm from, nights are so quiet, you seldom hear a peep until the roosters wake you," The atmosphere of the room changed on a dime, the quests looking confused while the Oranges looked concerned.

"The... what?" One of the guests asked.

"I say, my dear, what in the world is a rooster'?"

"Huh? They really don't know what a rooster is?" Sora commented. That seemed so strange, "Even I know what that is."

Applejack began to show signs of nervousness, sweat was dropping from her head, her eyes clenched shut, and her frame wobbled.

"Dinner is served," a unicorn server stated levitating dishes with saucers over them over to the table.

"Thank goodness. Being a city pony's hard work. I'm so hungry I could eat a..." The saucer was lifted, revealing a single carrot crumb and a single piece of parsley.

"Seriously," Sora took note of how little food there was to eat, "Even Little Chef makes more than that," Nonetheless, Applejack looked exceptionally disappointed with her meal.

The scene flashed away once again. Now Applejack was in a posh and cozy room, overlooking the sunrise from an open window.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo...," She solemnly imitated before slumping on her windowsill, "Oh, I wonder what Granny Smith and Big McIntosh are up to. I bet they're applebuckin' their way through the Red Delicious trees. Oh, what I wouldn't give for just one bite..."

Sora, feeling sympathy for little Applejack. Sitting right next to the little filly, he could she that she was crying.

"She's homesick," Sora said with a sigh, "I know what that's like. Being apart from those you care for, it's lonely," His monologuing was cut short when he heard a loud explosion, startling him. Little Applejack heard that explosion as well, lifting her head up to see a miraculous sight. It was a bright and vibrant rainbow. Sora stood up in awe as the rainbow continued to drift downward to what seemed like Ponyville, "Huh? What's going on?"

One thing was certain though, Applejack's face lit up like a firefly on a summer night. Before Sora could comprehend it, the scene changed again.

Little Applejack was galloping towards the entrance of the farmstead with an enthusiastic smile on her face. Both Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were at the front to greet Applejack. Sora felt his heart melt as he saw the orange filly nuzzle her family members. Just then, Sora noticed something, Applejack's three apple cutie mark appeared.

"I see, this is the memory of when A.J got her cutie mark," Sora did not have much time to ponder as a bright light once again blinded his vision.

—

Sora was back at the Station of Awakening, contemplating what he saw, "I guess Applejack knows exactly where she belongs."

The diamond that was glowing glowed even more. Appearing upon the diamond in a flash of light was a picture of a crystal orange apple.

"Huh, I don't get it. Why did that appear? It looks like A.J's element of harmony," There was another diamond that began glowing, "Another?"

Thinking he might see something else, Sora stepped onto the glowing diamond.

—

When the light dissipated, Sora saw that he was floating in the air near cloud platforms where pegasi foals were flying about. This area must have been near Cloudsdale. Looking over towards a slide with a cloud ring above. On the top of the slide was a lanky pegasus filly with a very similar color scheme and mane style.

"Hey, is that Fluttershy?" It was strange, seeing her as lanky as she was when she was a filly. Little Fluttershy also seemed to be a very weak flier, evidenced by how she struggled to lift herself, only able to lift herself just above the ring. It wasn't enough as she tripped on the ring, slid down the slide, was flung forward, and collided with a flag that she inadvertently took with her before landing on a cloud.

"Ouch," Sora cringed, flying over to where Fluttershy landed as she untangled herself, "Fluttershy wasn't the best of fliers when she was a kid.

"Nice going, Klutzershy!" Spoke the voice of the brown pegasus bully Sora met when he was in Cloudsdale, only younger, "They oughtta ground you permanently."

The orange pegasus, also a colt, laughed at Fluttershy's expense as well, "Ha! My baby brother can fly better than you!"

"Man, even back then those two were obnoxious," Sora commented with a glare. Fluttershy shrunk under all of the scrutiny, tears falling down her cheeks as she did her best to hide herself. Up above, another filly was diving down towards the scene. Sora did not need to think to figure out who this was.

"Leave her alone!" Filly Rainbow Dash demanded from the two bullies.

They were not perturbed, "Ooh, what are you gonna do, Rainbow Crash?" The orange one taunted.

"Keep making fun of her and find out!" Rainbow threatened with a glare.

"Even when she was a kid, Rainbow Dash was fiercely loyal to her friends," Sora noted with a smile on his face.

"You think you're such a big shot?" The brown colt challenged, "Why don't you prove it?"

Little Rainbow smirked, "Whaddya have in mind?"

The scene flashed into a new one, the pegasi, sans Fluttershy, were standing on a starting line. Fluttershy was standing atop a small cloud in front of the start line, a checkered flag in her teeth.

"Apparently, Rainbow also never backed down from a challenge, even as a kid," Sora commented.

"You're going down!" The orange colt taunted.

"In history, maybe," Rainbow countered, "See you boys at the finish line!"

The three pegasi stood in starting positions. Fluttershy brought down the flag, signaling for the racers to go. The three racers passed by Fluttershy, making her spin at extraordinary speed. The motion of her spinning made her slide off of her cloud. Fluttershy plummeted towards the ground far below, her weak wings unable to make her stop falling. All the while, Fluttershy was panicking with her limbs flailing about.

"Oh no!" Sora flew towards the falling Fluttershy in a vain attempt to maybe save her. While he was able to keep up her the falling filly, but he in no way could catch her as he could not interact with anything. Fortunately for Fluttershy, something miraculous happened.

A swarm of butterflies flew underneath the yellow filly before she impacted on the ground. The butterflies were surprisingly able to support Fluttershy's weight as they carried her. Sora stopped to a halt as soon as he saw this. Fluttershy surveyed her surroundings with great interest. After a bit, she started to relax and curl her face into a smile. Then another miraculous thing happened.

Sora experienced this particular phenomenon in Equestria before, but it always puzzled him nonetheless. Soothing music started to play from nowhere as Fluttershy basked in the beauty of her current location. She was in such a state of bliss that she started singing.

[Young Fluttershy]

_What is this place  
Filled with so many wonders?  
Casting its spell  
That I am now under_

Fluttershy was so elated that she started to gently fly in rhythm with the butterflies.

_Squirrels in the trees  
And the cute little bunnies  
Birds flying free  
And bees with their honey_

_Hooooonneeeeeeey!_

The music began to pick up into a more bombastic tone, as did Fluttershy's singing. All the while, she began befriending all sorts of different woodland critters.

_Oooh, what a magical place  
And I owe it all to the Pegasus race  
If I knew the ground had so much up its sleeve  
I'd have come here sooner, and never leave_

_Yes, I love ev-er-ythiiiiing!_

Sora smiled at how adorable Fluttershy was being. That came to an abrupt end when Sora heard the ground shake coupled with the sound of an explosion. Sora and little Fluttershy quickly turned theirs towards Cloudsdale, where a large and ever expanding shockwave of color could be seen.

"Wait..." Sora recognized what that was, "That was a sonic rainboom!"

The shockwave and loud sound was enough to make all of the animals scatter in fear, hiding in whatever they could find. Fluttershy noticed all of new little friends running off in terror. Something stirred within her. All of a sudden, she adopted a stern and determined face.

Sora saw Fluttershy meticulously approaching where every animal had ran off to and assure them all it was okay. She flew around, poked her head into bushes, and dunked her head in to water, all to comfort the scared creatures, and it was working.

"It's all okay," Fluttershy soothed all the little animals as the lied down, the animals all converging to her.

"I guess Fluttershy is more suited towards the ground with the animals," Sora noted. There was another thing that caught his attention. Appearing upon Fluttershy's flanks was her triple butterfly cutie mark, "Huh? Again."

Once more, the blinding light enveloped Sora's vision.

—

Sora was back in the Station of Awakening, this time a pink butterfly occupying one of diamonds.

"I've seen memories from both A.J and Fluttershy, and both times I've seen how they got their cutie marks. So, that should mean that I'll see how the others got theirs."

Right on cue, another diamond started glowing, prompting Sora to walk to it.

—

"Wait... wasn't I just here?" Sora was back at the beginning to the race, only he was next to young Rainbow Dash. Right after Fluttershy waved the flag, the racers flew forward, only this time, Sora was flying in perfect synchrony with Rainbow.

"Woah!" Sora flailed his limbs, wondering why he had no control over his movements. He could not feel anything that was happening, but moving at high speeds was still freaking him out. Every turn, dive, and flip Rainbow did, Sora did in tandem. After a while, Sora began to calm down and start enjoying the flight.

During a particularly tight turn, the brown colt mistimed his turn and collided into a cloud pillar. Sora had to laugh after seeing something like that. While Rainbow continued the race, her wide grin suggested to Sora that she enjoyed this. The speed, the adrenaline, the wind in her mane: She liked it—a lot!

Her excitement was short lived when the orange colt intentionally knocked her off course, sending her (and Sora) tumbling away.

"Ha! Later, Rainbow Crash!" He taunted.

Rainbow was having none of it. As the colt dived down, Rainbow followed him at top speeds. As she was speeding, Sora noticed a cone of wind forming around Rainbow Dash. He recognized what was happening. His suspicions were more than confirmed when Rainbow blasted at breakneck speeds, sidewinding her opponent into a wipe out. Then it happened, a grand explosion of rainbow colors as The cyan filly blasted upwards. Sora looked at Rainbow as she began smiling even wider once she realized what she just accomplished.

"It was Rainbow who made that sonic rainboom happen!" He said, seeing Rainbow Dash's cutie mark appear. Like before, a blinding light ended the memory.

—

Back on the platform, Sora considered what he had witnessed as a red lightning bolt occupied the space he stood on.

"So Rainbow helped Fluttershy earn her cutie mark? That's crazy. Now that I think about it, A.J did say that Rainbow did the sonic rainboom when she was a kid. That must have been it. Fluttershy just happened to be there at the time."

A fourth diamond began glowing. Wondering whose memory he'd see next, Sora walked into the light.

—

Sora was on top of a stage near the Ponyville schoolhouse, where foals where practicing a play wearing costumes of various objects.

"Whose memory is this?" Looking over to the side of the stage, he got his answer when he saw the pristine coat and elegant mane, "Oh. Huh, even as a filly, Rarity liked to look fancy."

"Well done, Rarity," Spoke an older mare who was next to filly Rarity, "The costumes are very nice."

Despite the praise she received, Rarity did not look satisfied, "Nice? They need to be spectacular!" She spoke over dramatically as present Rarity tended to do, "And the performance is tomorrow!"

A flash of light, and the scene changed. Now Rarity was in her room using her sewing machine. Despite being in her element, she did not seem to be into her work like she is now.

"Maybe I'm not cut out to be a fashionista after all," She lamented.

"Rarity didn't have much faith in herself back then," Sora noted. Just then, little Rarity's horn began to light up inexplicably. All of a sudden, her horn began to act with a mind of its own, dragging Rarity out the door.

"What's going on?!" She screamed.

Sora chased after her, only for a flash of light to transport him somewhere else. He did not recognize the location. It was desolate and far from civilization. Rarity, who looked bored, was dragged to the location where she collided with something. She and Sora both looked at the object:

"A ROCK?!" Rarity screamed in rage. Even Sora had to question what a rock had to do with Rarity, "That's my destiny?! What is your problem, horn? I followed you all the way out here for a rock?! Ugh! Dumb rock!"

Then a loud sound echoed throughout the area, startling Rarity and Sora. When Sora looked up at the sky, he was hit with a startling sight.

"Wait, is that the sonic rainboom?" It looked exactly the same. The big shockwave of expanding colors. There was no doubt about it, that was a sonic rainboom, "This is happening the same time as the race."

As Sora was digesting this information, the shockwave reached the rock, causing it to crack. The cracks began to expand, until the rock itself split in half. That's when it was revealed that some things are beautiful on the inside. The rock itself was hollow, inside were hundreds of gorgeous and sparkling gems. Rarity's eyes glittered in amazement as a brimming smile appeared on her face.

Before Sora knew it, a flash of light happened. Sora was back on the school stage. Only there were a few key differences. The costumes were now covered with brilliant gemstones as the actors performed in front of an audience, who were mesmerized by the costumes.

There was one more major difference that Sora noticed, Rarity looked on at the costumes with pride. She was as happy with the costumes as everyone else was. That was when her cutie mark appeared, and that was when the blinding light transported Sora back.

—

"So Rainbow helped both Fluttershy and Rarity get their cutie marks?" It was such a weird coincidence, one that made Sora reflect on his experience in this place so far. There were now four diamonds with images on them. The one he had just been to now had a purple diamond adorning it.

While Sora was reflecting, something occurred to him, "A.J went home because she saw a rainbow pointing towards the farm. There was also that explosion sound. Does that mean that Rainbow helped A.J get her cutie mark too?" Every memory he had seen so far had a similar element about them. There always seemed to be a rainbow involved in some way. Maybe Rainbow Dash did help Applejack get her cutie mark as well.

There were two diamonds left, the one in the middle and one more on the side. The last outer diamond began glowing. Knowing what might come ahead, Sora stepped on top of it.

—

This location was far more drab and depressing than the other places Sora's visited so far. It was a farm with only a homestead, a windmill and a silo that were dull in color. The fields were dirt brown and covered in gray rocks. To add to the gloomy atmosphere, the sky was covered in a depressing gray cloud cover.

"What kind of a place is this?" Sora questioned. There were three fillies on the field pushing rocks, two of them were tones of gray in both mane and coat. Their manes were also flat, not styled in any way. As for the third filly,

"Wait a minute," Sora ran over to the little filly just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. The fur and mane were two tones of pink, and the eyes were blue, "Pinkie Pie?" She almost did not seem recognizable, her mane was flat and face was in a constant sad frown.

The sound of a triangle rang, prompting Sora to turn his head towards the source. There was a stallion with an earthy yellow coat with amber eyes and a shaggy silver mane wearing a wide brimmed black hat and a white collar with a black tie. There was a mare as well; she had a dirty white coat with a dark green mane tied in a bun and blue eyes. She wore spectacles on the bridge of her nose and a plaid black and white ascot. When the stallion who presumably Pinkie's father sounded the triangle, the other two filly's went towards the front door. All four ponies looked at Pinkie with frowns on their faces as they entered the house.

Sora could not help but feel for Pinkie Pie when she sighed. Just then, an explosion sound and a shockwave of expanding colors.

"Again?!" This was the fifth time in a row that the sonic rainboom had appeared. Pinkie looked up into the sky as the shockwave cleared away the drab weather, allowing sunlight onto the farm. The force of the shockwave hit Pinkie with full force, blowing her mane and tail back. When the winds dissipated, the filly's mane and tail frizzed into something more Pinkie-ish.

Sora looked up at the clear sky, seeing a bright shimmering rainbow appear. Just looking at it made Sora smile. It had an effect on Pinkie as well; her eyes glowed with joy as her muzzle shifted into a wide smile of pure delight. Sora knelt down at looked at the adorable face little Pinkie made.

"That's the Pinkie that I know," Sora chuckled.

"Hi Sora," Pinkie waved at him.

"Hey, Pinkie," He replied. Sora did a trouble take, falling on his rear end, "WAIT, WHAT?!"

"Why do you look so weird?" Little Pinkie asked with a tilt of her head.

Sora quickly recomposed himself and wildly waved his front limbs, "Look, Pinkie, I can explain—"

"Don't worry about it, silly," Pinkie reassured, "I'm not the real Pinkie, I'm just a figment created from her memories, as far she still knows, your a pony."

"Huh?" Sora felt his brain going in all sorts of directions, none of which led him to any conclusions.

"I've never felt joy like that," Pinkie bounced in place, "That was so amazing I want to smile forever," Pinkie halted her excitement to bring a hoof to her chin, "But how do I keep the happiness going?

Sora tried to address Pinkie, "Um, what's going on?"

"WAIT, I GOT IT!" She exclaimed, startling Sora, "Scene changes with flash of light!"

Hey, that's my line... Ugh. The scene looked no different than before. The only difference was that little Pinkie was not there. Sora had to shake his head, of course Pinkie's cutie mark memory would be strange. The door to the house opened with Pinkie's family trotting out.

"We better harvest the rocks from the south field," Pinkie's father said. Something was amiss, however, as upbeat and peppy music could be heard from inside the silo.

"Pinkamena Diane Pie! Is that you?" Pinkie's mother said.

"Wait... That's her name?" Sora repeated it in his head. He could not have ever imagined Pinkie having a name like that. Speaking of Pinkie, she opened the door to the silo to address her family.

"Mom! I need you and dad and the sisters to come in, quick!" She requested. All of the family members looked amongst themselves before they obliged to Pinkie's request. As they (and Sora) walked into the silo, their mouths went agape. Pinkie had decorated the inside of the silo with colorful balloons, streamers and party favors. There were also tables with brightly colored table cloth carrying punch, cake and other types of snacks.

"Surprise!" Pinkie shouted with a wide smile, "You like it? It's called—a party!" Pinkie gave her family and expectant smile, but they still had looks of shock plastered on their faces. Their lips began to tremble, almost as if they were ready to cry.

All in an instant, Pinkie's exuberance left her as she reverted back to her sad state, "Oh, you don't like it."

Looking at formally excited filly bow her head in shame make Sora's heart break, "Poor Pinkie."

Fortunately, there was no need for sadness, for the Pies all exploded into wide grins of joy. In an instant, Pinkie's exuberance returned.

"You like it!" Pinkie exclaimed, officially starting the party when she began dancing with her family, "I'm so happy!"

As expected,Pinkie's cutie mark appeared on her flank. Sora now had a smile on his face as he saw the Pie family celebrating in Pinkie's first party, "That's what makes Pinkie special; she works hard to make others happy."

Little Pinkie bounced right in front of Sora and looked up at him, "And that's how Equestria was made," Sora's eyes went wide and he almost fell on his back, "Blinding flash of light!"

Wanna keep doing my job, Pinkie? *Sigh...*

—

Sora stared off into the black nothingness as he returned to the Station of Awakening. What was the meaning behind Pinkie's message?

"You know what, it's probably just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie," Sora said, starting to recover from that last memory. The five outer diamonds now had pictures on them, the latest one having a blue balloon, "All five of the memories I've seen involved Rainbow's sonic rainboom. There must be a deeper connection behind this."

The center diamond began glowing, prompting Sora to turn to it, "This last one has to be Twilight's," With that, Sora stepped onto the final diamond to let the light take him to see the last memory.

—

Sora was in a very spacious room. There was an incline of seats that rose up. On the top seats were four unicorns with critical and presumptuous expressions. Standing in the middle of the ground level was an anxiety induced filly Twilight.

Off to the side were a blue unicorn stallion with a well combed dark blue mane and a light lavender mare with a two toned white and purple mane, presumably Twilight's parents. They signaling for their little girl to put on a big smile, which she did.

"There's Twilight," Sora said, taking a moment to observe his surroundings, "I wonder what's going on."

"Miss Twilight Sparkle," One of the teachers addressed the purple filly with a critical glance, "We will now begin your entrance exam into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns," From a side door, one of the faculty brought in a wooden crate with a cute purple and green egg atop a stack of hay.

"Does she have to hatch that egg?" Sora wondered. That seemed to be the case as Twilight seemed unsure for a moment.

"Well, Miss Sparkle?" The teacher prodded, making Twilight drop sweat before she composed herself. She exerted herself with her horn pointed at the egg. Nothing was happening. She glanced back at the teachers and their critical gazes, furthering her anxiety. She tried different poses and positions in the hope that it would help; it did not. Sora hopped upon hope that Twilight would succeed, but that would not not come to pass. Eventually, the purple filly collapsed under the strain she put herself under.

"I'm sorry I wasted your time," Twilight solemnly accepted defeat, her head slumping in disappointment. Sora felt bad for her, all of that effort and it was not enough. The teachers furiously took notes on clipboards as Twilight almost began to cry.

Explosion sound, shockwave of colors.

"Again..." Sora breathed, seeing the sonic rainboom outside the window. The sonic rainboom affected Twilight too, but in more drastic ways then the others. The pure shock of hearing the explosion caused something in Twilight to trigger. All of a sudden, her horn began to glow with immense magical energy. A bolt of energy shot out from her horn onto the egg, making it immediately hatch into a familiar baby dragon.

"Huh? Spike?" Sora observed, it was an even littler version of the little guy, one that actually acted like a baby. It turned out Spike and Twilight's bond was deeper than Sora thought. That was not the end of Twilight's surge of power. Suddenly, her whole body emitted energy, firing lightning bolts and random spells. In this short amount of time, Twilight made the teachers float, turned her parents into potted plants, and made Spike grow to an exponential size, big enough to crash through the roof.

"Woah!" Sora exclaimed. He never knew Twilight had power like this. She was completely out of control, her body brimming with magical energy while her eyes were glowing a pupil-less white. Sora was unsure how long this was going on for, but it soon came to an end when somepony else entered, "Princess Celestia?"

Equestria's benevolent ruler placed a hoof on Twilight's back, prompting the filly to look to the majestic alicorn. Just seeing the Princess made Twilight calm down and revert to her original state, thereby reversing the effects of her spells. The teachers found solid ground, younger Spike went back to being a baby, and Twilight's parents returned to being ponies (but they were more than a little traumatized).

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia addressed. Being under the gaze of Equestria's ruler, little Twilight crumbled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..." She stammered, thinking Celestia might punish her. However, the princess placed her hoof on the filly's chin.

"You have a very special gift," Celestia complimented with a warm smile, "I don't think I've ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities."

Twilight could not believe what she was hearing, "Huh?"

"But you need to learn to tame these abilities through focused study," The princess informed.

"Huh?!"

"Twilight Sparkle, I'd like to make you my own personal protégé here at the school," Celestia offered.

"Huh?!"

"So that's how Twilight became Celestia's student," Sora commented. It was not hard to see why Celestia sees so much potential in Twilight, she has such tremendous power, "Wait, how did Celestia know Twilight's name?"

"Well?" Celestia awaited Twilight's answer. The little filly looked towards her parents, who were excitedly encouraging her to accept.

With that, little Twilight jumped into the air and cheered, "YEEESSSSSSS!"

"One other thing, Twilight," Celestia interrupted the purple filly's celebration.

"More?" Twilight's eyes widened, falling onto the ground on her belly. When she landed, Celestia pointed towards The filly's flank. Twilight looked to her flank to see something special, "My cutie mark..." To celebrate, the purple filly skipped around Celestia, continually yelling "yes" the whole way.

"Twilight really is talented," Sora said, "She just needed someone to show her that," While Twilight was still jumping for joy, the blinding light transported Sora away.

—

Sora was back in the Station of Awakening for what should be the final time.

"The girls all got their cutie marks because of Rainbow's sonic rainboom," It all seemed like the biggest of coincidences, but Sora knew there was more to it than that, "All six of them were connected for years, and they don't even know it," Sora looked down at the stain glass image, Seeing Twilight's purple star in the center, thus completing the image, "I guess they were always meant to bear the Elements of Harmony," He somehow felt closer to the girls than ever before after this.

Something still did not make sense to him. Why was he shown all of this? What reason did he have to learn how his pony friends got their cutie marks? While he was pondering, the whole platform was bathed in a blinding light, forcing to once again shield his eyes, only this light was far more intense than the others. Sora thought that he might wake up at that moment, but he did not. Rather, he was now in a location other than Equestria.

"Wait a minute!" Sora yelled, his eyes wide and his breathing irregular and his torqued his head back and forth. He knew what this location was, "This can't be right... Am I... back on the islands?"

Looking over to a different area, Sora noticed something strange, "Huh, is that me?" Something then dawned on him, "This is one of my memories."

—

"I think I see him up there!" Sweetie Belle pointed up to a cloud where Sora was napping.

"Is he sleeping?" Asked Apple Bloom.

"C'mon, Crusaders, let's get his attention," Ordered Scootaloo.

As the Crusaders were talking amongst themselves, Sora began to slowly open his eyes as consciousness graced him. As he was waking up, he heard the Crusaders calling out his name—very loudly. Sora sprung up, covering his ears in an attempt to save his hearing.

"It worked!" Apple Bloom stated triumphantly, seeing Sora wide awake.

"What?" Sora looked down to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders, "What are you girls doing?"

"Sora, we need yer help," Apple Bloom said.

"Okay, what is it?" Sora replied without hesitation.

"Can you tell us how ya got yer cutie mark?" Apple Bloom requested with a wide smile.

"Huh?" Sora was stumped. His cutie mark? He had one, to be sure, but he had no way of answering that.

"Yeah," Scootaloo added, "We've been asking other ponies how they got their cutie marks to see if it could help us get ours. But they weren't any help."

"Hey, Sora," Sweetie Belle called out, "Guess what. All the girls got their cutie marks because of Rainbow Dash!"

"Huh?" Sora was astounded. They knew about that?

"Yeah," Apple Bloom continued, "When they were fillies, Rainbow Dash did a sonic rainboom that made the other girls get their cutie marks! How Sweet is that?"

"Sweet?" Scootaloo remarked with disgust, "Try sappy. Besides, I can't take anymore singing," The tomboy pegasus turned her attention to Sora again, "Can you tell us your cutie mark story? Preferably something not namby-pamby."

Sora had no clue how he should proceed. He had no clue how he could have gotten a cutie mark. Something then occurred to him. He saw a seventh memory before he left the Station of Awakening. A memory that belonged to him. He knew what his cutie mark story was, even if he did not know it until now.

"Okay, I'll tell you," Sora agreed as he flew off his cloud and landed in front of an expectant CMC, "It all happened when I was really young, way younger than you. You see, I had this friend that I always played with," Sora paused for a moment but resumed, "He always managed to beat me in everything that we did: racing, fighting, climbing, you name it. I always just thought he was better at me at everything."

"One day, though, we were playing with wooden swords. Normally, he would beat me. But this time, I wanted to be the one to win this time. He kept at it to the point where I was close to collapsing, and he barely broke a sweat. But I suddenly got a burst of strength. I kept going at him, fighting with all my heart until I was able to knock him down. For the first time, I actually beat him. I was never more excited in my entire life until then. And that's when this appeared," Sora gestured to the crown symbol on his flank. All the while, the CMC were looking at Sora with wide eyes.

"So you just kept fighting with this guy until you won?" Scootaloo reiterated.

"And when you did beat him, you almost lost?" Sweetie Belle added.

"Sure," Sora nodded his head, "I knew that I just kept working hard, I'd eventually beat him."

The Crusaders absorbed what Sora told them. They then addressed one another.

"Do ya know what this means?" Apple Bloom asked her friends.

Sweetie Belle was quick to reply, "Yeah, we just have to work harder to get our cutie marks!"

"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed, "We'll try even harder than before.

Sora widened his eyes, "Wait, hang on, that's not what—"

"C'mon, Crusaders," Scootaloo announced, "Let's keep trying to get our cutie marks!" With that, the three fillies dashed away, presumably to attempt another cutie mark scheme.

Sora sighed, worried that he might have unintentionally cause Ponyville more problems. Thinking back to his dream, Sora still could not comprehend why he saw the girl's cutie mark memories. To make matters even more confusing, he was shown a memory that was his own.

_There's so much that I don't understand, but I know that there must be a deeper connection between me and the girls._

And then Pinkie Pie hugged him.

Sora yelled in surprise, "P—Pinkie? What are you doing?" He asked with strained breath. Pinkie was hugging him just a little bit too tightly.

"What? Everypony else got to have an emotional hug with you besides me, even Zecora got to have a hug with you for crying out loud!"

"Huh..?" Sora was not following Pinkie's logic. All he knew was that his bones were starting to hurt.

"This is the last chance I'll get at something like this since the season is coming to an end."

"I don't get it," Sora sighed, effectively giving up trying to grasp what Pinkie was doing, so he just let her have her surprise hug.


	17. The Best Night Ever

The time was finally here. The night of the Grand Galloping Gala was here at last. It was dusk in Ponyville as the group prepared themselves for what might just be one of the most memorable nights of their lives.

"Sora, do you really need privacy to change?" Rarity asked, "You do realize ponies don't normally wear clothes, correct?"

"Yeah, of course I do," Sora replied from behind the curtain, "I just like to change when I'm alone is all," Sora went to Rarity's for some early preparation, which entailed wearing the tuxedo Rarity made for him all those weeks ago.

"Well, if you say so," Rarity responded. After a minute of preparation, Sora revealed himself, clad in the custom tuxedo Rarity made for him. He would have looked smashing, had it not been for one thing, "Sora, why is your bow tie like that?" Rarity questioned, pointing to the sloppy knot around Sora's neck. The caramel pegasus could only sheepishly laugh in response, "We went over this yesterday."

"I kinda forgot," Sora admitted with a nervous smile.

The fashionista groaned as she rubbed her head, "Honestly, Sora," She used her magic to undo Sora's embarrassing work and tie the bow properly, "You could at least try to put in more effort into being a civilized pony."

"Hey, I'm sorry, okay," Sora exasperated, "I'm not used to this kind of thing."

Rarity sighed, "Forgive me for my rudeness. I guess I'm just a little nervous about tonight. I am hoping upon hope that Prince Blueblood and I will be joined in true love," Rarity's eyes went elsewhere clearly fantasizing about her soon-to-be Prince Charming. Sora was also staring off into space, but for a different reason.

_"That must be nice. Getting excited about being with your true love."_

"Sora," Rarity called out, breaking Sora out of his trance, "Is everything alright?"

Sora shook his head, "Oh, sorry, kinda spaced out for a second," Sora responded, not wanting to think of the issue even further. Thankfully for him, Rarity quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, don't you look just smashing," Rarity complimented.

"Well, it is your design after all," Sora replied.

"Oh pish posh, darling," Rarity shrugged off playfully, "Don't you know it's the pony who makes the clothes?"

"Don't think I've heard that one before," Sora said.

"Well, it is very much true in your case," Rarity told him graciously, "If I wasn't pinning for Prince Blueblood, I'd probably swoon over you."

Sora blushed in response, "Hey, how 'bout we go gather up the others?" He hastily changed the subject, for more than a few reasons.

—

Outside the boutique, Sora and Rarity met up with Twilight, Spike, Rainbow and Pinkie. Twilight was deeply engrossed in a book as Sora conversed with Spike.

"I can't wait for tonight!" The little drake exclaimed, "All of us hanging out like friends on the biggest night of the year!"

"Nice to see you excited," Sora commented.

"Hey, Sora, what'll you be doing at the Gala?" The purple drake asked.

"Me? Oh, I'll probably just hang out," Sora responded plainly.

"Oh, where in the world are Applejack and Fluttershy?" Rarity questioned out loud.

Right when proper timing demanded it, Applejack and Fluttershy trotted over to the group, "Hold yer horses, Rarity, we're here," The farm mare said.

"Perfect timing, Applejack," Twilight greeted, closing her book, "Did you you bring what I requested?"

"Sure did," Applejack replied, removing her hat to show that there was a ripe, red delicious apple underneath, an apple that was promptly placed on the ground.

"Okay..?" Sora tilted his head, "What's with the apple?"

"Just watch," Twilight responded before taking a deep breath, "Okay, let's see if I can perform that spell I read about," Twilight lit up her horn and casted a spell at the apple. In a puff of smoke, the apple morphed into an intricately designed apple carriage, complete with wheels.

"Woah," Sora displayed clear amazement at Twilight's abilities. There was something that was bugging him, however, "Wait, who's pulling it?"

Twilight now turned her attention to Fluttershy, "Fluttershy, do you have your little animal friends?"

"Right here," She answered. Four mice appeared from under her mane. The yellow mare lowered her head so that the mice could scurry onto the ground.

"How are they gonna pull that?" Sora motioned to the large apple carriage, far too heavy for mice to pull.

Twilight smirked, "Don't you worry about that," She casted another spell at the mice. In another puff of smoke, the mice's form took that of gallant steeds. They even had girdles to hook them onto the carriage. Their mice-like features (mainly their eyes and whiskers) were still present, giving them an unorthodox appearance overall.

"Okay, I guess that works," Sora said.

"Uh, Twilight," Fluttershy sheepishly addressed the purple unicorn, "That's not permanent, is it?"

"Don't worry, Fluttershy, the spell wears off by midnight," Twilight assured. Unfortunately, Opalescence was nearby; once she saw the giant mice, she immediately hurled herself at them, latching onto one of the horse-mice. The mouse reared up to push Opal off. The sudden shock of this event spooked the mice into galloping far away.

"Wait, come back!" Twilight called out in vain, but the horse-mice were long gone.

"Opal!" Rarity scolded her pet, stomping her hoof on the ground, "Bad!" The cat showed no signs of regret or anything of the such from Rarity's scolding.

"Well, now what?" Sora asked, crossing his hooves. His eyes drifted towards Rarity, who was looking at the caramel pegasus with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, "Rarity, what's with that look?" He surveyed his surroundings, now finding that the other mares were giving him similar, expectant looks, "Uh... Why are you all looking at me like that?"

—

The girls managed to convince Sora to pull their carriage all the way to the Gala. Rarity in particular played the chivalry card against Sora heavily. It was not very hard for a pony of his surprising strength, but it was still humiliating nonetheless.

"Couldn't we have just taken the train?" Sora whined.

"Quit your complaining," Spike commanded, pulling the reins from the front seat of the carriage. The mares were inside, conversing with one another. It was a long ride to Canterlot, a ride that took many hours. Along the way, other carriages carrying noble ponies were seen along the path.

Sora had not been to Canterlot since he visited Celestia a few months ago. Looking at it from the close distance he was at now, Sora remembered just how stunning the city actually was. After hours of trotting, the group made to the draw bridge leading into Canterlot proper.

"Finally," Sora breathed a sigh of relief as he removed the harness from himself. Spike leapt off of his seat and walked over to the carriage door. Leisurely, the mares all filed out of the carriage one by one. They were all wearing the gorgeous dresses that were a centerpiece of a little adventure they had months ago. Sora had seen the girls in their Gala dresses before, but something was different this time around. The girls themselves seemed more radiant than before. Maybe it was due to the excitement in the air.

"Wow, you girls look great!" Sora complimented.

"Oh, you are too kind, my dear," Rarity replied, her excitement clearly evident on her face, as was the case with the rest of the girls.

Then there was the sound of instruments playing from an undisclosed location. Sora always wondered how this occurred. Equestria was a world abundant with strange magic. Perhaps the out of nowhere musicals were connected to that same magic.

"I can't believe we're finally here," Twilight announced with a wide smile, "With all that we've imagined, the reality of this night is sure to make this... The Best Night Ever!" Like all other times before, the out-of-nowhere instrumentation was accompanied by singing.

_[Twilight Sparkle]  
At the Gala  
[Choir]  
At the Gala  
[Fluttershy]  
At the Gala  
In the garden  
I'm going to see them all  
All the creatures  
I'll befriend them at the Gala  
[Choir]  
At the Gala  
[Fluttershy]  
All the birdies  
And the critters  
They will love me big and small  
We'll become good friends forever  
Right here at the Gala!  
[Choir]  
All our dreams will come true  
Right here at the Gala  
At the Gala_

Applejack took over from Fluttershy, the former having basic string instruments accompanying her singing.

_[Applejack]  
At the Gala (It's amazing)  
I will sell them (Better hurry)  
All my appletastic treats (Yummy yummy)  
Hungry ponies (They'll be snacking)  
They will buy them (Bring your money)  
Caramel apples, apple sweets (Gimme some)  
And I'll earn a lot of money  
for the Apple family!  
[Choir]  
All our dreams and our hopes from now until hereafter  
All that we've been wishing for will happen at the Gala  
At the Gala_

Now it was Rarity's turn to sing, her voice just as elegant as the music accompanying it.

_[Rarity]  
At the Gala  
All the royals  
They will meet fair Rarity  
They will see I'm just as regal at the Gala  
[Choir]  
At the Gala  
[Rarity]  
I will find him  
My Prince Charming  
And how gallant he will be  
He will treat me like a lady  
Tonight at the Gala!  
[Choir]  
This is what we've waited for to have the best night ever  
Each of us will live our dreams  
Tonight at the Gala  
At the Gala_

After Rarity finished singing, a group of pegasi flew in perfect synchronization high overhead, leaving behind a smoke trail as they passed by. They were the Wonderbolts, prompting Rainbow Dash to begin singing.

_[Rainbow Dash]  
Been dreamin'  
I've been waitin'  
To fly with those great ponies  
The Wonderbolts, their daring tricks  
Spinning 'round and having kicks  
Perform for crowds of thousands  
They'll shower us with diamonds  
The Wonderbolts will see me right here at the Gala!  
[Choir]  
All we've longed for  
All we've dreamed  
Our happy ever after  
Finally will all come true  
Right here at the Grand Gala  
At the Gala_

Pinkie Pie's rendition was accompanied with peppy and upbeat music as she hopped her way over to the entrance.

_[Pinkie Pie]  
I am here at the Grand Gala  
For it is the best party  
But the one thing it was missing was a pony named Pinkie  
For I am the best at parties, all the ponies will agree  
Ponies playing  
Ponies dancing  
With me at the Grand Gala!  
[Choir]  
Happiness and laughter at the Gala  
At the Gala_

Princess Celestia flew above over the city, leaving behind an arcing rainbow as she landed atop her balcony. As Sora looked at the rainbow, he could not help but think there was something oddly familiar about it. He did not have much time to ponder as Twilight began to sing her portion.

_[Twilight Sparkle]  
At the Gala (At the Gala)  
With the Princess (With the Princess)  
Is where I'm going to be (She will be)  
We will talk all about magic and what I've learned and seen (She will see)  
It is going to be so special  
As she takes time just for me (This will be the best night ever!)_

The castle was getting so much closer as the song began to reach an epic conclusion.

_[Choir]  
Into the Gala we must go  
We're ready now, we're all aglow  
Into the Gala, let's go in and have the best night ever  
Into the Gala, now's the time  
We're ready and we look divine!  
[Choir and Fluttershy]  
Into the Gala  
[Fluttershy]  
Meet new friends  
[Choir and Applejack]  
Into the Gala  
[Applejack]  
Sell some apples  
[Choir and Rarity]  
Into the Gala  
[Rarity]  
Find my Prince  
[Choir and Rainbow Dash]  
Prove I'm great  
[Rainbow Dash]  
As a Wonderbolt is  
Fluttershy: To meet!  
Applejack: To sell!  
Rarity: To find!  
Rainbow Dash: To prove!  
Pinkie Pie: To whoop!  
Twilight Sparkle: To talk!  
[All]  
Into the Gala  
Into the Gala  
And we'll have the best night ever!  
At the Gala!_

By the time the song ended, the group was at the front entrance of the castle, _"I should join in on the singing one of these days,"_ Sora thought to himself. He had not done something like that in such a long time.

"You're right, it is gonna be the best night ever," Spike said, "Because we're all gonna hang out like—" And the mares all ran off before he could finish, leaving both Spike and Sora alone at the entrance.

"Well, there they go," Sora said. He was about to head off into the party himself, but a quick glance at a dejected looking Spike kept the stallion in place, "Hey, what's wrong?" Sora asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Spike lied—badly. Sora wasn't fooled. He gave the little drake a stern gaze, silently demanding an answer. After a few long seconds, Spike finally relented with a sigh, "It's just... I was hoping we would all spend the night just hanging out, having fun together. Instead, the girls are each off doing their own thing."

"The girls all know what they want. I'm sure they know what their doing," Sora's reasoning did nothing to sate Spike's sadness.

"I don't know about that. I have an itching feeling their plans won't turn out the way they want them to," Spike let out a sigh, gazing at the floor, "I feel like drowning my sorrows in donuts right now," Sora could see Spike was really down in the dumps, something he could not take lying down.

"Well, I'm still here," Sora proclaimed, "I'd like to hang out if you want. I could use a little company myself."

"Seriously?" Spike was taken out of his stupor, "Don't you have your own plans for tonight?"

"Of course," Sora replied, "I went to the Gala for the same reason as you: To spend time with my friends. And if you want, we can check in on the others after a while, I'm sure they wont mind."

Spike gave Sora a genuine smile of gratitude, "Thanks, Sora, you're a true friend."

"Great!" Sora proclaimed, "C'mon, hop on," He lowered his frame so that Spike could jump onto his back. He gave Sora a grateful smile before they entered the Gala proper.

—

The main site of the Gala was the castle's ball room. There, numerous round tables were set up so that guests could converse with each other. Longer tables were set up with fancily prepared concessions that were very low in portions. There was also a stage set up where a band of ponies were performing soothing classical music. Sora trotted into the ballroom with Spike in tow.

"Wow, fancy," Spike said.

"Yeah, I don't think I've been to a party like this," Sora commented. His eyes drifted towards the snack table with platters filled with pieces of food on toothpicks. Hearing his stomach growling, Sora made a decision, "Let's try out the snacks."

Sora trotted over to a platter and grabbed two snacks with his wing, handing one of them to Spike, who eagerly accepted it. The pegasus and baby dragon ate the small amount of food, leaving only the tooth picks. The two of the chewed the food and swallowed, all the way their faces stuck in neutral expressions.

"Huh, that's pretty blank," Spike said, tossing his toothpick away.

"Yeah," Sora agreed, "You'd think it have more flavor because it's so small," That was what experience taught Sora, but this situation seemed to be the exception.

And then Pinkie bounced into the ballroom singing a song. Unlike before, there was no accompanying music to go along with her singing. She bounced all over the ballroom, her cheerful energy juxtaposing the prim and proper atmosphere.

_[Pinkie Pie]  
I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala,  
I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala,  
I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala,  
It's all I ever dreamed.  
It's all I ever dreamed, woo hoo!  
It's all I ever dreamed, yippee!  
I'm at the Grand Galloping GalaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA!_

After Pinkie hit that high note, the ballroom was left in an uncomfortable silence. The band had stopped playing, all conversations halted, and any other background noise silenced, leaving only an awkward tension. And Pinkie Pie was at the center of it. The pink mare looked to be in a tense mood.

"It's all I've ever... dreamed?" Pinkie finished with a hint of uncertainty. The nobles continued what they were doing, completely ignoring Pinkie and her antics.

"Wrong time for a song and dance, I'm guessing?" Spike commented with a shrug.

"That's a first, Pinkie's energy completely stalling a party," Sora added, "She looks like she took that pretty hard," He took note of how uncharacteristically uncomfortable Pinkie looked.

"I'm sure she'll get over it," Spike said.

"I don't know," Sora replied, turning his head to Spike, "Remember when she forgot her own birthday?" Long story short, a week ago, the group was planning a surprise birthday party for Pinkie. She had interrupted their secrecy as the group not wanting her to be their friend anymore, leading her into a crazed depression that freaked Sora out when he saw it. She started talking into inanimate objects with this creepy look in her eyes.

Spike blinked his eyes. He certainly remembered how crazy Pinkie became during that time, "Okay I guess you have a point. Maybe we should talk to her."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. He turned his head back where Pinkie was, only to find that she wasn't there anymore, "Hey, where'd Pinkie go?"

"She was there just a second ago..." Spike said.

"Hmm... Let's go look for her," Sora suggested. The little drake nodded his head in agreement.

—

The two friends searched across the entire party grounds, but had no luck finding Pinkie anywhere. With their search proving fruitless, Sora and Spike decided to just go exploring the castle.

"These are the gardens, right?" Sora asked Spike as the former trotted through a dimly lit area adorned with well kept grass and bushes.

"Sure are," Spike answered, "Fluttershy should be around here somewhere."

As the two continued on, a chipmunk scurried it's way in front of the caramel pegasus.

"Hey there, little guy," Sora motioned his hoof forward. In an instant, the chipmunk bolted away, leaving the caramel pegasus stunned, "Wow, the critters in Ponyville don't act that skittish."

"You know, the animals in the gardens do always act frightened whenever I show up," Spike commented.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I always assumed that they were afraid of me because I'm a mighty dragon," Spike puffed up his chest and put his hands on his hips for emphasis. Sora chuckled in response to Spike's attempt to seem intimidating.

"Well, if anything, I'm sure Fluttershy's made friends with them already," Sora spoke with certainty. After trotting further into the gardens, Sora saw a familiar pony, "Hey, there's Fluttershy."

Sora was going to approach her to say hi, but something seemed off. He only saw her from the back, but Sora could see that Fluttershy had grown unkept since last he saw her. Her dress was heavily wrinkled and stained with mud. There was also the matter of the strands of hair sticking out of her usually smooth mane. Next to Fluttershy was a simple box trap help up by a stick tied to a piece of string.

"I'll catch you yet, my pretties," She spoke in a low and predatorily voice as her eyes darted back in forth. All the while, the critters in the garden all hid away in fright, "Oh yes. As soon as one of you little birds or monkeys or bears touches this net... You'll be mine! MINE!" Fluttershy stood on her hind legs as she cackled in an uncharacteristically evil laugh, lightning cracking behind her. Then she lost balance and fell on her back, causing her trap to go off.

Sora and Spike witnessed this scene, clear expressions of fear on their faces. Fluttershy had not noticed either of them yet. Not wanting to try his luck, Sora began to slowly trot backwards.

"Back it up. Just back it up, back it up real slow... back it up, just backing up here. Just sloooowly back it up."

—

After that particularly frightening experience, Sora and Spike backed it up as much as they could towards anywhere else.

"Jeez, I didn't think Fluttershy could be that scary," Spike said, still trembling.

"Yeah, no kidding," Sora recalled a rumor he heard once before. Supposedly, Fluttershy had an ability know as The Stare. Sora had no idea what it meant, nor did he find the rumor to be credible to begin with. However, what he just witnessed clearly showed that Fluttershy has a dark side, "Where are we?" Sora did not pay attention to where he went after the Fluttershy thing. There was a large group of ponies behind velvet rope conversing with one another. There were so many conversations going on that they all overlapped each other, thereby making it impossible to understand what was being discussed.

"That must be the VIP section," Spike said.

"What are they all talking about?" Sora asked, the inane mutterings of the ponies were not getting any clearer.

"Who knows?" Spike shrugged.

While observing Behind the crowd of busy ponies, Sora could see somepony jumping away waving her hooves frantically. Her face was hard to make out, but the mult-colored mane gave it away.

"Hey, I think I see Rainbow Dash," Sora said, squinting his eyes to confirm it. That was indeed Rainbow trying to pass through a crowd of ponies.

"Really?" Spike tilted his head, "What's she doing in the VIP section?"

"No clue," Sora admitted. It was then that he noticed a few pegasi ponies wearing familiar blue jumpsuits, "Hey, there are the Wonderbolts."

"Oh, cool. That must mean Rainbow Dash must be hanging out with them!" Spike stated. Looking over at how Rainbow Dash was acting, crawling under a crowd of ponies to get close to the Wonderbolts, Sora was having doubts about Spike's statement. It seemed even less like when he saw Rainbow chatting up a storm, only for the Wonderbolts to not pay her any mind.

"That doesn't look like hanging out to me," Sora remarked.

"Yeah, their not even looking at Rainbow," Spike took notice of how the Wonderbolts seemed to be ignoring Rainbow, "Man that's a bummer."

The sound of growling stomaches demanded the full attention of both pony and dragon, bringing themselves away from Rainbow's plight, "Man, I'm getting hungry," Sora said.

"Yeah, all we had to eat was that bland stuff at the ballroom," Spike added. As Sora dealt with the ringing in his gut, a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, let's go find Applejack," He suggested, "She's selling food somewhere around here, right?"

"Yeah, good idea!" Spike agreed, "Let's get some Apple family goodies!"

"Sounds good to me," Sora nodded his head, "Now all we have to do is find her."

—

It took a bit of searching, but the duo eventually did find Applejack. She was standing behind a retractable stand lined with various homemade apple treats. However, Applejack looked anything but pleased at the moment. Her chin rested on her fore-hooves as she slumped forward in annoyance.

"Hey AJ," Sora greeted, snapping the farm pony out of her slump, "Made any good sales?"

"Well, so far ah've sold jus' one apple pie," Applejack sighed in frustration, "Ah don't suppose you two'll take what ah got?"

"Sure thing," Sora replied, "I'll take one of those fritters."

"I'll have one of those caramel apples," Spike made his order.

"That's real nice a' ya'll," The orange mare thanked, "Ah'll get those right up."

"You really haven't sold anything yet?" Sora asked in surprise as Applejack brought the orders, "I'd have figured you'd be sold out by now."

"Apparently, these Canterlot folk want sumthin' more than home cooked," The farm mare scowled, "Ah tell ya, ah don't get these fancy noble types. Too busy acting all high and mighty to try out something with some real flavor. What does Rarity see in this ponies?"

"Speaking of Rarity," Sora said, "I haven't seen her all night. You think she found Prince Blueblood yet?"

"Probably," Applejack responded, "She wouldn't stop talking about him on the way over here. Kept saying things like, 'Oh, Blueblood will sweep me off my hooves and we will live happily ever after.'" Applejack's rather inaccurate imitation of Rarity's accent earned the farm pony a round of laughs from Spike and Sora.

After their laughing fit, Sora and Spike were given their treats, the former holding his fritter with his wing and the latter holding caramel apple's stick with his right claw. The two of them graciously dug in immediately after Sora payed Applejack the necessary amount of bits.

While Sora was enjoying the crumbly goodness of his fritter, his mind was thinking towards Rarity and her romance with Blueblood, "Hey, Spike, do you know anything about Prince Blueblood?" He asked with his mouth full.

Spike made sure he swallowed before he made his reply, "Not much. Twilight and I never met him before. Twilight never really talked with members of the royal family aside from Celestia."

As if the timing couldn't be any more perfect, Rarity approached Applejack's stand with another pony close by. This other pony was likely Prince Blueblood. He certainly fit the bill of a handsome prince, a unicorn stallion with a pure white coat, a combed back blonde mane, and pristine blue eyes.

Sora took notice of Rarity, the usually elegant and graceful mare was now grumpy and pouty. Blueblood carried a smug expression in comparison.

"Two apple fritters, Applejack," Rarity requested.

"Sure thing, Rarity," Applejack obliged, presenting two well baked fritters to the two unicorns, "That'll be four bits."

Neither pony made a move for a good few seconds. Blueblood kept his held up high while Rarity was eying him expectantly. The posh stallion gave her an arrogant glance.

"Surely, you don't expect me to pay?" Blueblood questioned Rarity with squinted eyebrows. The marshmallow unicorn gasped in shock before she switched to furious anger.

Sora was astonished, _"That was really rude of him,"_ He thought, glaring at Blueblood. The prince either did not care to acknowledge Sora's glare, or did not notice Sora's glare altogether.

Seeing that there was an intense air, Applejack stepped in, "That's okay, Rarity, I'll cover you."

"Thank you very much, Applejack," Rarity expressed her gratitude, "At least somepony here has good manners," She casted an annoyed glance at Blueblood. The two unicorns used their magic to pick up their fritters and

The unicorn stallion spat out what he bit into, his face scrunching in disgust, "Oh! Fritters! Dumplings! Caramel apples! My royal lips have touched common carnival fare!" Blueblood screeched. It appeared as though he was completely unaware of what Applejack was selling, despite Rarity stating the order a few seconds ago.

The other ponies were more than surprised at his over the top reaction. Applejack and Sora were peeved at Blueblood for his insulting remark on the Apple treats.

"Whatchu say, partner?" Applejack gritted her teeth, "Mah homemade delicacies ain't cutting it for ya?"

"Oh heavens, no!" Blueblood replied, "I couldn't possibly eat something so... plain!" He spoke in a normal tone, something that made Applejack fume steam from her nostrils with a red face, "I'm going to the buffet for some... hors d'oeuvres," The pompous unicorn made to leave, but somepony stood in his way

"Hey!" Sora stood in Blueblood's path, "You don't get to just walk away after saying something like that! You should apologize to Applejack!"

"And who are you to lecture me?" Blueblood brushed off, "I don't have to listen to any nonsense you spout," Sora puffed up his cheeks in frustration. First this jerk insulted Applejack, then he had the gall to talk all high and mighty.

_"Has Rarity dealt with this guy all night?"_ If she did, it was no wonder why she was acting grumpy, "I haven't met many princes in my life, but you sure as heck don't act like one!"

"What would a commoner such as yourself know about being royalty?" Blueblood scoffed.

"Well, I'm pretty sure princes are supposed to treat others with respect!" Sora fired back.

"Please," The arrogant stallion rolled his eyes, "This mare should consider herself lucky that I decided to grace her with my presence."

The ponies gasped in shock. Sora gritted his teeth in disgust at how Blueblood was acting. Spike, who crushing his fritter in his claws, was absolutely livid with rage. How dare this stallion insult Rarity like that. If looks could kill, Spike's angry expression would've destroyed Blueblood a hundred times over. The little drake wouldn't stand to see this spoiled brat treat Rarity in such a way—and his other friends, of course. Jumping off Sora's back, Spike marched his way to Blueblood.

"She's the lucky one?!" Spike yelled, "Who do you think you are you spoiled brat?! You should consider yourself lucky that such a beautiful unicorn decided to spend her time with you!"

"Do you have any idea who that is?" Spike pointed towards Rarity, "She's one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony! She deserves nothing but your respect and admiration!"

"And I should listen to you, why?" Blueblood rolled his eyes.

"I'll tell you why you should listen you weasel!" Spike fired back, yet Blueblood was still unfazed, "She is the most amazing unicorn in all of Equestria! She deserves more than you!" Rarity looked at Spike in amazement, touched by his words.

"Hold your tongue you plebeian!" Blueblood roared in anger, pushing his hoof forward against Spike, forcing him on his back. The other ponies were blown away in surprise, Rarity in particular put a hoof to her mouth with a gasp. No one expected Blueblood to physically attack anyone. Sora knelt down to Spike to help him back up before he gritted his teeth at the arrogant unicorn.

"That was really low!" Sora yelled.

Blueblood scoffed in response, "Come you," He motioned his head toward Rarity, indicating he did not even know Rarity's name, "Let us go to the buffet for some... hors d'oeuvres."

"Not on your life!" Rarity shot back.

"Excuse me?" Blueblood turned to her with an arrogant expression, only for it to shift to worry once he saw Rarity's vengeful face.

"If you think I would continue to flaunt around with you after such a display, then you have another thing coming!" Rarity screamed, advancing towards Blueblood, who trotted back in fear, "You, sir, are the rudest, most unpleasant, most un-princely pony I have ever met! Make me open doors for you, make me use my scarf so you could walk over a puddle, act as un-chivalrous as you like, but you may not—repeat—MAY NOT harm my friend you charlatan!"

The other ponies were taken aback with how angry Rarity was. It was more than clear that this frustration had been built up for some time.

"I pray that the next mare who falls for you doesn't make my mistakes!" Rarity continued her rant, "If I could go back in time, I would tell my past self to never ever associate herself with you! The past few hours have been nothing short of infuriating, you pompous, arrogant, heart-crushing buffon! The only thing royal about you is that you are a royal pain!"

"So, what are you saying?" Blueblood questioned obliviously. Rarity's eye twitched, her teeth grating as the others backed away in fear at what she would do. In an instant, a blue aura enveloped one of the pies and flew straight into Blueblood's terrified face. The force of the impact created an indent on the tin. The resulting pang sound brought forth a silence that made the smallest sounds noticeable. Breading and mushed apple flew off in any direction they were able too. The tin slowly fell of the stallion's muzzle, now covered in bits of apple pie, along with the rest of his face and mane, his expression one of pure horror.

"OH NOOO!" Blueblood screeched in dismay, "What have you done to my mane!"

"Is that really what your worried about?!" Rarity grinded her teeth. She received no response as Blueblood galloped away, crying in the most pathetic display anyone present had ever seen. The marshmallow mare scoffed in displeasure.

"Hey, Rarity," Sora approached, "I'm really sorry your dreams didn't come true."

"You've nothing to apologize for, Sora," Rarity replied, "I was the true fool here. I stuck with Blueblood all night, hoping that he might show some semblance of princely chivalry. But alas, it was not meant to be," She then turned to Applejack, who still had a stunned disposition, "Sorry about the pie, Applejack. I'll pay for it."

"Don't think nothin' of it, Rarity," The farm mare shook off her shock, now adopting a mug smile, "Watching you put that varmint down to size was payment enough."

"Well, that's nice to hear," Rarity thanked graciously. The marshmallow mare trotted over to Spike, who was back on his feet, "Thanks for stand up for me, Spike. This is for you," Rarity knelt down to Spike's level and puckered her lips, rewarding the little drake with a quick peck on the cheek. Spike stiffened when Rarity's lips met his cheek, transitioning into a dopey expression when the mare pulled back. Rarity then addressed a stunned Sora, "I'll be heading off now, dear. I'll see you later."

"Okay, see ya round," Sora nodded. With that, Rarity graciously trotted off, clearly pleased with herself.

"Ah'll be heading off too," Applejack brought up.

"Really? Why?" Sora questioned.

"Ah shuolda figured sooner," Applejack said, retracting her cart into something more manageable, "These noble types are fillin' up on those fancy-schmancy vittles. Well, my down-home apples are plenty good enough for this crowd. I'll just dress 'em up a bit and prove it to 'em," Applejack moved her cart away, soon leaving Sora and Spike alone.

"Well, I guess that takes care of that," Sora said, turning over to his draconian companion. His eyes were droopy as he tenderly rubbed the cheek where Rarity kissed him, "Uh, Spike... Are you okay?"

"I'm never washing this cheek again..." The little drake trailed off. Sora waved his hoof in front of Spike, but received no response. Spike did not react in any way.

"Oh boy..."

—

Sora picked the lovestruck Spike back up and continued to wander around the Gala. Spike eventually did snap out of his daze, but he still felt his cheek tenderly. Sora and Spike found a long line of nobles stretching from outside the grand hall of the castle. Inside the grand hall, the pair found Twilight at the top of a large flight of stairs standing next to Princess Celestia, who was greeting the quests one by one. Twilight wore a face of anxious anticipation. She wanted to spend the night with her mentor and idol, but the never ending line of nobles wanting to shake hooves with the princess kept Twilight from any proper interaction.

"Man, the Princess must be really popular," Sora noted, observing the length of the line.

"Of course she is," Spike responded, "She's Equestria's benevolent ruler. Everypony looks to her for guidance."

"Ya know, seems to me like they just wanna shake her hoof," Sora commented, seeing the nobles shake Celestia's hoof and then go about their merry way.

"Yeah, Canterlot nobles really value their reputation," Spike expressed with a shrug.

"There's Twilight," Sora commented. Upon taking a closer inspection at Twilight, she looked absolutely miserable, having to stand there, unable to talk with her mentor as the nobles kept stalling their conversation, "Man, Twilight looks miserable."

"Yeah," Spike agreed, "Has she been shaking hooves all night? That sounds like a nightmare."

"Hey, I just thought of something," Sora said. Seeing Princess Celestia jogged his memory on a certain subject, "We haven't seen Princess Luna anywhere."

"Princess Luna?" Spike tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah, you know, Nightmare Moon," Sora clarified, "I thought that she'd be here," Sora had not seen Princess Luna ever since her heart was purified all those months ago, "I really hope she's doing okay."

"I still can't believe you were able to take on Nightmare Moon," Spike commented.

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly hard, though..." Sora spoke with modesty, not pride.

Sora thought back to that encounter. He was beyond shocked when he discovered that Luna was in fact a Keyblade Wielder, even more so when he discovered Celestia was one as well. It was all so strange, he knew something about the Princess that no one else knew. Not even Twilight knew of Celestia's keyblade. While Sora was deep in thought, he managed to hear a long winded sigh. It came from none other than Spike.

"Hey, Spike, is something bugging you?" Sora questioned.

"Huh?" Spike perked up in surprise, his mind clearly drifting elsewhere, "Oh, uh, it's nothing really."

Sora was not buying it, "C'mon, Spike, I'm your friend, remember? You can talk about whatever you want with me. You don't have to hide anything from me," The caramel pegasus gave his friend an encouraging smile.

Spike sighed heavily, "Twilight wanted to spend the night with Celestia. She didn't even think about spending the night with me, or anypony else," Spike sighed in sadness, "Sometimes I wonder if she even cares about me..."

"Spike, of course Twilight cares about you," Sora said with conviction.

"Huh?" Spike was surprised that Sora responded with such certainty, "You really think so?"

"Spike, I know so," Sora replied, yet the purple drake seemed like he needed more convincing, "You remember that time you got kidnapped by the buffaloes by accident," Spike nodded his head, "Twilight was really worried about you. The only reason she didn't come looking for you was because I told her she needed to stay behind. And remember, she was so happy when she saw you. Isn't that proof enough?"

Spike considered Sora's argument for a moment, "I guess you got a point there."

"Look, Spike, Twilight's still new to friendship," Sora elaborated, "I'm sure she has trouble expressing how she feels, but she values you as her close friend. All of us do."

"Really?"

"Sure, remember what happened with Rarity?" Sora gave Spike a big smile, "You stood up for her against that spoiled brat, and she was more than grateful for it. That proves that she values you. Maybe Twilight wanted to spend the night with Celestia. That doesn't mean she doesn't care about you. Tell me this, Spike, what does your heart say about this?"

"My heart?" Spike repeated, putting his hand over his chest. The little drake thought about it. What did his heart say? If Spike had to say anything, his heart said that Twilight valued him not only as her assistant, but as her friend. Spike smiled, "Heh, thanks, Sora. I really needed to hear that."

"It's no big deal," Sora brushed aside, "I'm always happy to help out a friend," The caramel pegasus looked back towards Twilight, who was still mindlessly shaking hooves with the never-ending line of nobles, "Let's let her know we're here."

Sora waved his hoof excitedly, with Spike mimicking his action. Twilight, having seen a pony wildly waving his hoof, turned her head to see Sora and Spike waving at her with smiles on their faces. Twilight was a little surprised to see them there, but she was glad to see some familiar faces in the sea of monotony she was currently in. The purple unicorn put on a little smile and waved back, not as vigorously as Spike and Sora. Seeing that they got Twilight's attention, the dragon and pegasus lowered their limbs.

"See, Spike, Twilight was happy to see you," Sora encouraged.

"Yeah, don't even remember why I was worried," Spike agreed.

"Ya know, we've been at this party for awhile," Sora commented, "Not alot has happened."

"Hey, if you're getting bored, I know this really good donut shop we can go to," Spike offered. Sora thought about it. Even though he just had an apple fritter, he could go for a few donuts.

"Alright, I'm in!" He responded.

—

"And after all that, Twilight still didn't notice the quill was still stuck on her face," Spike was currently explaining to Sora a particularly embarrassing moment in Twilight's life when she had to deliver a presentation on Eastern Unicorn Magic to Princess Celestia. The story involved staying up all night practicing and numerous mis-reads. Sora had a hard time holding back his laughter. The two of them had gone to the donut shop the Spike suggested they go to, where Spike told Sora his past experiences with Twilight, most of them at her expense.

The two heard the sound of a bell ring, signaling that someone entered the shop. Sora looked over to see the others had entered the shop.

"Hey girls," Sora greeted. His attitude changed to bewilderment when he saw their current state. Their dresses had become unkempt, some of them torn in some areas. Fluttershy in particular looked like she was put through the ringer, "What happened to all of you?" He questioned.

Twilight glanced towards the other mares nervously, who bore similar expressions, "Hehe, well... funny story."

Twilight then went into extensive detail what happened after Sora and Spike left the party, Pinkie tried to get the party going into full swing after she got over Feeling Pinkie Keen getting looked over...

Wait. I didn't write that—Pinkie!

Anyway, the rest of the story involved cake flying everywhere, pillars collapsing, a lost glass slipper, and animals running amok the ballroom. In the end, Rarity was without a Prince, Pinkie did not get to party the way she wanted to, Applejack made little profit, Fluttershy made no new animal friends, Rainbow Dash made no leeway into becoming a Wonderbolt, and Twilight spent no quality time with Princess Celestia.

"Wow, that sounds like the worst night ever," Sora said, the group sitting at a booth.

"It was!" The mares all agreed with a hearty laugh.

"I just hope Princess Celestia isn't upset with us for ruining the Gala," Twilight said, suddenly growing fearful.

"That was the most fun Gala ever!" Spoke a new voice. The ponies and dragon all turned their heads to find somepony they never expected to see right now.

"Princess Celestia!?" They all shouted in surprise.

"Princess, what are you talking about?" Twilight questioned, "Tonight was horrible."

"Twilight, the Gala is always horrible," Celestia replied, earning her confused looks from everyone, "That is why I invited you all here. I was hoping you could liven things up a bit. But I must admit, I was slightly hoping for an invasion of some kind from those Heartless."

"Huh?!" Sora was flabbergasted hearing the Princess say such a thing, "Why would you ever wish for a Heartless invasion?"

Celestia responded plainly, "Listen, Sora, if you spend an entire night shaking hooves, you'd wish for anything else to happen."

"Yeah, I have to agree," Twilight added, her eyes drooping.

"Okaaaay..." sora tilted his head, still in shock.

"At the very least, I'm sure you'll agree that in the end it didn't turn out so bad for this group of friends," Celestia stated warmly.

"Yeah," Twilight nodded her head, "I guess friends have a way of making even the worst of times into something pretty great."

"Yeah, Kinda like how Sora made my night all the more better just by being there," Spike chimed in, giving the caramel pegasus a grateful smile.

"Heh, yeah," Sora nodded, "Spending time with friends is important," The caramel pegasus lowered his head for a moment, his expression briefly shifting into something solemn. He immediately put on his biggest smile, now was not the time to be dwelling on that.

"As horrible as our night was..." Applejack started.

"...being together here has made it all better," Rarity finished.

Pinkie threw in her two bits next, "In fact, it's made it..." She made a pause as if expecting everypony to respond in a certain way. Thankfully, they all did just that, exclaiming at the same time:

"The Best Night Ever!"

—

The ponies traveled back to Ponyville, by train per Sora's request. Whenthe late night train arrived at it's destination at the Ponyville train station, the ponies all bid their farewells and returned to their respective homes. Sora, however, stayed behind, compelled to stare up at the stars in the sky. So very few knew the true nature of the stars, but Sora knew what they were.

"Hey, Sora," called Twilight, causing the caramel pony to turn his head to the purple mare.

"Twilight, you're not gonna go back to the library yet?" Sora asked.

"Not really, I kinda feel like stargazing right now," She replied, trotting next to her companion. Both mare and stallion gazed at the beautiful night sky, "You, know, it's strange," Twilight initiated a conversation, turning her head to Sora, "Just a few months ago, I would have been burying my face in a book at this time."

"But now you're going to parties with friends," Sora finished with a smile.

"I wish that's what happened," Twilight commented, "Then I might have enjoyed myself."

"Well, there's always next year, right," Sora suggested, "Maybe you could try and make the Gala actually good next time it comes around."

Twilight considered what Sora said, bringing a hoof to her chin, "You know, that might not be a bad idea. Reorganize a few things and it could turn out enjoyable for everypony."

"Yeah, just do that!" Sora encouraged. Twilight chuckled from Sora's contagious enthusiasm. Afterwards, Twilight looked back up at the sky, with Sora doing the same.

"Sora, don't ever change," Twilight said out of the blue, admiring the night sky's majesty.

"Sure," Sora replied, turning his head towards Twilight. His voice released a gasp when he found an entirely new scene. Rather than the night draped town of Ponyville, he saw a wooden dock of a tropical island overlooking a gorgeous sunset surrounded by a serene sea. The sounds of the ocean's waves brought forth a calming sensation. Most interesting of all, Sora didn't find the lavender mare to his right, but a beautiful light pink unicorn mare with a messy auburn mane and ocean blue eyes.

An overwhelming surge of emotions flowed through Sora as he saw this scene. An overflow of both positive and negative emotions whirled in his heart. He broke down in light sobs, unable to bear these feelings. Twilight looked to Sora when she heard something on her left, gasping in shock to see her friend crying.

"What's wrong? Are you okay" Twilight asked like a concerned parent whose child was injured.

"I'm fine, just... Something in my eye..." Sora answered, composing himself and wiping away the tears on his face. It didn't take Applejack to know that Sora was lying through his teeth. Twilight thought back to her first week in Ponyville; at the time, she pushed Sora into an emotional breaking point. She always assumed it had something to do with his home.

_"I can't get home."_

She remembered those words all but clearly. Based on how he was acting at the time, she assumed something terrible must have happened to his home. Right now, he was in a very similar state, only she did not know what was bothering him.

"Sora, please," Twilight pleaded, "I know something's bugging you."

"What..?"

Twilight was not sure why she was trying to push this subject. For the longest time, she had refrained from questioning his past, in fear that she might strain their relationship again. However, he was distressed, and as his friend she felt a duty to make him feel better.

"Sora, I'm not forcing you to tell me what's wrong, but I'm willing to lend you an ear if you need it," Twilight offered earnestly.

Sora knew what was bothering him. He had been trying to put it off for a long time, but he knew he could not hold it off anymore. His heart was aching, maybe talking about it would help. Spike needed to talk about his problems, so Sora should do the same.

"Alright," Sora agreed, taking a few seconds to compose his thoughts, "It's just, when you told me to never change, it reminded me of someone."

"Who?" Twilight asked.

"A girl named Kairi," Sora answered, his breathing starting to become heavy, "When I was a kid, she just sprung up from nowhere during a meteor shower. The two of us became fast friends after we met at school. We always used to play on this island off the main shore with my best friend, Riku. Whenever I felt down, Kairi always put me at ease just by being there for me. She's just that kind," Sora reached into his coat pocket with his wing, pulling out his wayfinder. Twilight eyed the trinket with piqued curiosity, "This was a gift Kairi gave me a long time ago. It's so that we would never forget each other, no matter what."

Twilight payed close attention to how Sora was speaking as he described this Kairi mare, his inflections and his tone. She was not completely sure, but the purple unicorn had an itching suspicion that Sora saw Kairi as more than just his friend.

"And, I remember she said to me once, 'don't ever change.' I'm still not completely sure what she meant, even now," It always felt like an out of the blue thing for Kairi to say, "I haven't seen her in a long time. I guess I just really miss her."

Twilight knew very little of what Sora's life was before she met him. From this brief anecdote, the purple unicorn began to see a different side of Sora she never knew, leading her into her next question, "Sora, if you don't mind my asking, why don't you go see Kairi? If you miss her that much, what's stopping you from going to her?"

Sora choked back a sob, pushing the wayfinder tightly against his chest, "I do wanna see her, more than you could ever imagine," Sora's eyes began to shed tears as it became increasingly difficult for him to not break down, "But I can't."

Twilight's eyes widened. She was worried of this exact scenario occurring. She had clearly opened an old wound, albeit unintentionally.

"Sora, I'm so sorry!" Twilight frantically apologized, "I shouldn't have made you bring up something so personal."

"No, no..." Sora shook his head, straining himself to stay composed, "It's fine, you don't have to apologize for anything," Sora trotted past a worried Twilight, "I'm gonna go back to the farm, I'll see you 'round."

Twilight watched Sora trot away. Her heart felt heavy, having listened to Sora's story, "I had no idea he harbored feelings like that for somepony," She thought back way back when, when she found him lamenting his inability to see his home, how utterly distressed he was. This was far worse than before. He was not just upset, he was heartbroken. There had to be a connection somewhere. That led her to one conclusion, "Something terrible must have happened to Kairi and Sora's home."

The idea of such a thing made Twilight feel uneasy, but it was the most logical explanation for how Sora was acting. Some event must have occurred that emotionally destroyed Sora. Did it have something to do with his keyblade as well? Based on how he reacted to being asked how he received his keyblade all those months ago, it seemed likely. So many questions, and Twilight was not sure she would get any answers.

Sora continued his trek to Sweet Apple Acres unhindered. It wasn't a particularly pleasant trot for him. The image of the pink mare never left his mind, creating a sinking hole in his heart. He did not address the Apple family members as he made his way to his room. All he wanted to do was rest.

As he lay down on his bed, after taking off his suit and lazily placing the pieces on the nightstand, Sora's aching heart reminded him of the pink mare once again. She looked exactly like Kairi if she were a pony. It was more than clear to him now, he had no way to go to her and she had no way of knowing where he was. The clarity of that revelation caused a sinking feeling in Sora's heart.

"Kairi..."

Sora lifted his wayfinder to look at it. Tears freely fell down from his eyes, staining his cheeks. With a sob, Sora gripped his lucky charm tightly to his chest. Sora remembered clearly the last time he ever saw her, how sad she was despite putting on a brave face. The last thing he said to her continued to resonate at the back of his mind clear as day.

"...I love you."

—

**And that's it. Volume One of Kingdom Harmony is complete! I'm sorry that this final chapter took so long to come out. I've had to focus my efforts towards school recently, but I'm still dedicated to this story. Okay, I say school got in the way, and that's true, but I also tend to spend my time playing video games. Anyone else excited for DOOM Eternal?**

**This particular story will now be labeled as "complete," but that will not be the end. As I stated in the last chapter, season two of Friendship is Magic will be adapted into its own story, or volume.**

**Also, now you get to know some real world lore on myself. I am a Sokai shipper, always have been since the mid-2000's. Honestly, in my mind, I cannot see Sora sharing a romantic relationship with anyone else, nor do I see why the two of them have not gone the next step yet.**

**Now that Volume one is finished, I want to give one quick announcement. I have a new story separate from Kingdom Harmony in the works. I don't want to give away too much, but let's just say any messages I get asking what the new story is about will be met with an objection.**

**Thank you so very much for supporting this project of mine. This has been amazing so far and I hope to continue this journey into the future.**


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